Menace Tyler Worboyes jailed for injuring spectator during burnout out illegal Derrimut hoon meet
A hoon menace who seriously injured a spectator at an illegal “skid” meet in Melbourne’s west has been jailed while his victim wants taxpayers to cough up $70,000 in compensation. WATCH THE VIDEO
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A hoon menace who seriously injured a spectator after doing a burnout at an illegal “skid” meet in Melbourne’s west has been jailed.
Tyler Worboyes, 26, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to a minimum 16 months’ jail after pleading guilty to recklessly cause serious injury.
Worboyes, an apprentice roof tiler, drove to the notorious hoon spot at the Australis Industrial Estate in Derrimut late on March 27 last year.
The court heard Worboyes smoked his Holden ute up and performed the burnout at the gathering jam-packed with about “200-400” spectators.
The hoon’s out-of-control vehicle struck Keanu Gueli-Quaresma who had been watching the action from the nature strip.
Worboyes stopped his car, checked on his victim then quickly drove away.
Mr Gueli-Quaresma was knocked unconscious then taken to the Royal Melbourne with “immediate serious injuries” including pelvis, head and spinal fractures.
The victim had steel plates inserted into his spine and has required ongoing surgery.
Worboyes checked on Mr Gueli-Quaresma at the hospital but was warned off by the victim’s family and friends.
Worboyes recently purchased the ute but had not transferred the registration into his name.
He then contacted the car’s former owner to try and have the registration transferred to someone else.
Worboyes handed himself in the next day after police released CCTV of the burnout.
The serial hoon told police he performed the “crazily dangerous” burnout because “everyone else does it”.
“You plant the foot and make the tyres spin,” Worboyes said.
“There was a lot of smoke and all that and people were going ‘stop, stop, stop the car’.”
Worboyes claimed he drove away because he was scared of Mr Gueli-Quaresma’s friends.
“They were bashing the car and screaming out,” Worboyes said.
“(I) tried to help but I felt more in danger being there than, like with... people were trying to back me and kicking my car, this, that, I took myself out of a bad situation pretty much”.
“I’ve never been in trouble all my life... it was such a bad feeling, apparently I’ve just hit someone.”
In his victim impact statement, Mr Gueli-Quaresma said he has not worked since the accident after suffering nerve damage and a fractured pelvis.
The court heard Mr Gueli-Quaresma may claim $70,000 in lost wages from the Transport Accident Commission.
Judge Michael McInerney said Mr Gueli-Quaresma “may well have some troubles with this claim”.
“One has to take into account the circumstances as to how this accident occurred,” Judge McInerney said.
“The victim had in fact gone voluntarily to this skid meeting, had placed himself on the edge of the road where cars were gong to perform donuts in front of him in circumstances which I consider him thereby exposing himself to obvious risk.”
However, Judge McInerney said Worboyes — who has multiple priors for speeding and drink-driving — had an obligation to take “reasonable care”.
“It was clear to him that there are hundreds of people attending at this as what is being called a ‘hoon event’ and he was well aware of people being close to the road where the victim was located,” Judge McInerney said.
Worboyes — who also pleaded guilty to conduct place another in danger of serious injury — was jailed for a maximum two years and five months’ jail.
He also forfeited his ute
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