Gregory Purchase faces court over Meadow Heights crash that injured three women

A young woman sustained a serious traumatic brain injury after a disqualified and speeding driver crashed into a car and fled the scene in Melbourne's outer north.

A victim of a serious car crash in Melbourne’s outer north has told a court of the “dark shadow” clouding her and her friends’ lives ever since.

Gregory Purchase, 33, fronted the Melbourne County Court on Thursday where he had earlier pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury, failing to stop and render assistance after an accident and driving whilst disqualified.

The court heard that three girlfriends had been driving home through Meadow Heights from a dinner on December 18, 2018 when the driver began to turn right from Malmsbury Drive into Rokewood Crescent.

As she did a silver Commodore station wagon approached the residential intersection at speed and smashed into their Volkswagen Golf about 9.40pm.

The driver of the Commodore, Purchase, emerged from his severely damaged car and fled on foot without stopping to check on the occupants of the Volkswagen.

Neighbours who heard the crash called Triple-0.

The court heard one resident had told police they heard a “revving” car engine before the crash. At this point he looked out of his bedroom window and saw a bald and solid-looking male running along the footpath.

All of the women sustained injuries and were transported to hospital, though one – who was seated in the back seat at the time – sustained serious injuries.

She was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit, where she was placed in an induced coma.

The court heard one police unit had moved to intercept the speeding car just moments before the crash occurred, and had positioned themselves at a nearby intersection when the crash was called through.

Police found Purchase’s bank card, a photograph of him holding his daughter and clothing in the abandoned car while a blood sample taken from the windscreen was later confirmed to match Purchase’s DNA sample.

That night Purchase’s sister, the owner of the car, reported it as stolen at 10.16pm.

The court heard there were numerous phone calls between the brother and sister in the half hour after the crash and have alleged it was during these calls they conspired about filing the false report.

The seriously injured victim sustained a serious traumatic brain injury and a CT brain scan revealed bleeding on her brain.

She spent four weeks in the hospital before she was transferred to the Epworth for rehabilitation, where she remained for three months suffering from post traumatic amnesia, difficulty speaking and swallowing, weakness to the left side of her body and incontinence.

The court heard she was still struggling with impaired cognition and undertaking daily tasks upon her release and required ongoing physiotherapy.

Compelling and eloquent victim impact statements were tendered to the court on Thursday, with the driver’s read to the court.

She described waking up in the driver’s seat “in a cloud of smoke” to her friend screaming beside her.

She said the time since then had been a “nightmare”.

“Almost four years and it has been a dark shadow that has haunted three young girls.

“From a life filled with friends, socialising, adventures, goals and laughter so quickly turned into miserable days spent with psychologists, physiotherapists and trauma and therapy sessions.”

Purchase was arrested on March 23 and denied being the driver, but pleaded guilty in late 2021.

The court heard he had a history of dangerous driving and had been charged with subsequent offending after the crash.

His lawyer submitted he had a very low IQ – in the bottom four per cent of the population and this meant he was predisposed to making poor decisions.

Yet he added his client hoped to have a “happy, fulfilling life in the future”.

Judge Gabriele Cannon described the offending as “outrageous”.

She indicated she would impose a prison sentence when the case returns to court next month.