‘It’s every parent’s worst nightmare’: callous road killer’s disgraceful act after fatal crash
An ice-cold killer was more interested in saving himself and hiding his drugs than saving the lives of his dying mates, a court has heard. And the fatal Cranbourne crash hoon’s lawyer dubbed his client as a “one man crime wave”.
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An ice-addicted hoon who drove the car involved in a fatal smash in Cranbourne ran from the scene but came back to take his stash of drugs, the County Court has heard.
And Dylan Cassidy was seen speeding and looping in the hours before the crash which killed his friends Jordy Kirkwood, 20, and Byron Hampton, 16, and left 17-year-old Dakoda Nicholson battling life threatening spinal injuries on August 11.
The court heard Cassidy, then 20, was “wildly out of control” and loaded on a cocktail of ice and booze when the Holden Commodore he was driving slammed into a Holden Captiva travelling south along the South Gippsland Hwy outside Cranbourne McDonalds just after 4pm.
And as selfless witnesses rushed to help victims stuck inside the mangled vehicles — including two children — Cassidy pinched his bag of drugs from the car and threw away bags of ice on the street as he fled the tragic pile up.
Passenger Jack Ledlin, then 18, exited the car and brandished a knife at bystanders and a witness filmed Cassidy running toward Camms Rd as Ms Kirkwood and Mr Hampton died at the scene.
The smash came just hours after the stolen car was seen hooning in the area next to a black SUV driven by Ledlin, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Ms Nicholson.
A witness reported seeing the Commodore doing fishtails on the gravel outside Frankston Football Club in Baxter before a Hastings man saw the two cars charging through the estate where he lived about 2.30pm.
And about 40 minutes before the fatal crash, a female driver was forced to slam on the brakes to avoid being hit by the Commodore in Cranbourne as Cassidy drove in loops at speed in the Karingal Shopping Centre carpark.
Lynbrook mother Sharon Storer sobbed as she recalled seeing Cassidy, who was on bail for crimes committed six months earlier, speed toward her before losing control and becoming airborne after hitting the median strip just after 4pm.
The Lynbrook woman was driving south along the Sth Gippsland Hwy with her two surviving daughters — aged six and nine — to buy one of the girls a lunch box at Cranbourne Shopping Centre.
Cassidy, who has never had a driver’s licence, kept his head down as Ms Storer cried.
“To see your children hurt and see them scream in terror and to be stuck in a car and not being able to get to them was like being stuck in a horror movie...but it was not a nightmare, it was a reality,” she said.
“August 11 was truly the worst day of my life, I replay the collision over and over in my head … I hope you’re never given the opportunity to cause so much trauma to anyone ever again,” she told Cassidy.
Mr Hampton’s mother Nicole said her boy was a “gentle giant” who always put other people’s needs before his own, and was excited to start a new trade after working at the local butcher.
“He was always there to lift his friends up and make them feel safe … he had his whole life taken away from him,” she said.
“For the rest of my life I’ll feel guilt and pain that I was not there when he need me most … I am heartbroken beyond repair as my family has been torn apart, and I am haunted by the horror that (Byron) suffered.
“It’s every parents nightmare you get that knock on the door.”
Cassidy’s lawyer Jason Gullaci said his client was a “one man crime wave” and was committing offences daily to fund a “significant” ice addiction.
He said Cassidy, now 21, had no support from his family, with his mother spending “most” of her life in and out of prison due to her drug addiction and his father opting not to listen in on Thursday’s online hearing.
“It was breathtakingly stupid … he was smoking between half a gram and a gram (of ice) per day,” he said.
“He has no support from family and had a pretty unsupported and unstable life … he was able to avoid consequences by moving (between relative’s homes) growing up … it made it increasingly easy for him to skip school.
“He had a lack of morals and a lack of discipline because he was moving through so many places … as soon as there was a blow up or someone threatened some discipline, he moved to another place.”
Judge Liz Gaynor said there was “nothing else” Mr Gullaci could say other than citing Cassidy’s age and the seriousness of the crime.
“It’s such crazy, dangerous offending which can be attributed to youth but what makes it serious is that general deterrence has such a role to play,” she said.
“There’s not a lot you can say for your client is there Mr Gullaci … there has been some difficulty in his childhood and he’s got a brother and sister who seem to have survived that pretty well.
“This instability set in where he could float from relative to relative whenever he pleased, then he fell into massive drug use which has gone for years and years.
“We have here two deaths and three serious injuries … there’s not a great deal to say other than that this is very serious offending and that he’s very young.”
Cassidy pleaded guilty to 28 charges including fail to assist after accident involving a death, negligently causing serious injury, reckless conduct endanger life, culpable driving and drive in a manner dangerous.
He will be sentenced on August 20.
brittany.goldsmith@news.com.au
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