Vincent Varapodio sentenced over Nanneella crash that killed Paul Hangan

The outraged daughter of a Rochester man who was a hero during the devastating 2022 Victorian floods speaks out after he was killed by a motorist with a shocking driving history.

Rochester man Paul Hangan was killed by the dangerous driving of Tatura man Vincent Varapodio on September 22, 2023 at the intersection of Winter and Webb roads at Nanneella. Picture: Supplied.

The devastated daughter of a much-loved Rochester man killed while riding his Harley has slammed the short sentence the man responsible for the fatal collision received, saying the justice system has failed her family.

Belinda Hangan’s father Paul was killed after Tatura man Vincent Varapodio ploughed into Paul while he was riding his Harley at Nanneella.

Varapodio was jailed for two years and six months on a charge of dangerous driving causing death.

Judge Fiona Todd said Varapodio’s poor driving record included him receiving a suspended sentence in October 2010 when he struck and killed a cyclist while driving without a licence and failing to give way.

Between 1995 and 2023, he was dealt with for driving at excessive speeds 19 times and while on bail for causing the death of Mr Hangan, he was again caught speeding.

Paul Hangan's daughter, Belinda Hangan, is angry with the sentence killer driver Vincent Varapodio received in the County Court. Picture: Supplied

Ms Hangan said with Varapodio’s driving record, he could get behind the wheel once released and kill someone else.

“He should be counting his blessings... With the driving record he has, it is pathetic,” she said.

“The system failed my dad; they failed a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a friend.”

Mr Hangan, a father of three and grandfather of 11, became a pillar of his community after the 2022 floods ripped through Rochester. A Harley Davidson enthusiast, Mr Hangan was buried in a motorbike-themed casket with his helmet placed on top.

Mr Hangan, 67, was returning home after lunch with a friend at the Kyabram Club when the incident happened at the intersection of Webb and Winter roads at Nanneella on September 22, 2023.

Judge Todd said Varapodio cut the corner in his Nissan Navara while turning into Winter Rd and struck Mr Hangan’s Harley.

Mr Hangan was thrown off his Harley and died at the scene. Varapodio was uninjured and managed to escape his vehicle before calling his boss and telling him: “I’ve had an accident. I think that I’ve killed a guy. I didn’t see him. I just didn’t see him.”

Judge Todd said Varapodio’s early guilty plea was a strong mitigating factor the court took into account to fix an end sentence.

“From the first calls to your employer, you stated very plainly what it was that you had done and you never shied away from it,’’ Judge Todd said.

“Moreover, you entered pleas of guilty in the full knowledge that the law would operate in only one way, and that once you are sentenced, you would be incarcerated. You unequivocally submitted to that process.”

Varapodio will serve 18 months before being eligible for parole.