Shepparton: Hitesh Guha sentenced for intentionally striking pedestrian with his car

A Shepparton chef who ran over a pedestrian in a fit of rage after spending a night at a strip club has learnt his fate.

An angry chef who ran over a pedestrian after a night of drinking at a strip club has been sent to prison.

Hitesh Guha, 36, appeared in the County Court on Monday for sentencing over a horror incident in Shepparton on 14 March, 2020.

The court heard Guha started drinking with friends after clocking off from his shift as a chef at a local pub about 10pm.

They left the Terminus Hotel after a few drinks and continued drinking at a strip club.

Guha and his friends piled into his car just after 2am.

Guha, who was not licenced at the time, accelerated down Friars Street before attempting to turn left into Wyndham Street.

At the same time a group of five pedestrians was also starting to cross the road, with one exclaiming:

“Piss off mate, it’s a green light. Let us walk.”

The court heard Guha then stopped his car in the middle of the road, just south of the intersection, and an argument erupted with the pedestrians before Guha drove about 20 metres and parked behind a food van.

One of the pedestrians approached Guha’s car and slapped his face through the car window, before he was pulled away by a friend and the group started walking away.

Guha then reversed about three metres before accelerating, performing a u-turn across five lanes while continuing to accelerate - causing his wheels to ‘spin and screech’.

The court heard Guha straightened the car and accelerated - striking the victim in the back, causing him to fly about six metres in the air, before he came to rest on the footpath.

Guha then fled by speeding through a red light at the intersection, located in the heart of Shepparton’s CBD.

The victim suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed, retrograde amnesia, swelling, cuts and bruises.

The court previously heard the victim had detailed the ongoing impact of the crime on his life. He had said he was scared he would “never walk again” and that he had “lost confidence” and suffered from dizzy spells.

Guha was interviewed by police eight days later and denied that he purposely struck the victim, a stance the court heard he had maintained despite his guilty plea.

He was charged and bailed on March 23 with a condition not to contact prosecution witnesses, however, the court heard he approached one of his work colleagues who had given a statement to police about the night and said it had got him “in trouble”.

Guha’s defence had argued his mental health was a significant factor to the offending but Judge Paul Lacava did not accept this.

It was also submitted he should not be jailed as it could result in him being deported back to India, away from his young family.

But Judge Lacava said it was “serious offending in the heart of Shepparton CBD”.

“You may have been somewhat provoked by their behaviour but instead of just driving off when they have clearly withdrawn...

“You overreacted to a road incident and drove your car in a dangerous and violent manner - deliberately using it as a weapon to strike and injure your victim.”

He said Guha, who had a short criminal record, then “callously decamped” and was an example of road rage that was “unfortunately becoming all too common”.

He added that he could not find evidence of genuine remorse, despite his guilty plea.

Judge Lacava convicted Guha and sentenced him to six months in prison.

He was also ordered to comply with a community corrections order upon release, including treatment for mental health, for a period of 18 months.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months.