Joshua Forrest, Edmund Nelson, Youssef Wannous and Kanwarbir Singh all front Moorabbin Magistrates Court
An ice pipe, a ruined university bollard, an ex-boyfriend and a very lucky Uber driver all featured in a hectic week at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court.
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A man who reversed into a bollard, an Uber driver without the proper signage and a man caught with an ice pipe in the back seat of his car have all fronted Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court.
Youssef Wannous
A man who was caught on CCTV reversing into a bollard at Monash University has pleaded guilty to failing to inform police of a traffic incident and damage to property.
Youssef Wannous fronted Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on March 1 after a three-point-turn in an empty car park in October 2020 left him in hot water.
Wannous, driving a Toyota Rav 4 wagon at the time, was attempting a three-point-turn when he collided with the bollard at the Clayton campus, causing it to bend back so far that it was no longer able to retract into the ground.
The court heard Wannous told police he had gotten out and looked at the damage before driving off, but the CCTV evidence told a different story, showing Wannous driving away from the scene without getting out or looking to investigate.
“It is correct, I didn’t get out and have a look Your Honour,” Wannous said.
“But I thought I’d just scratched the bollard, and who was I going to tell? I didn’t hit another car.”
Despite these claims, Magistrate Steven Raleigh held Wannous accountable.
“You did more than just scratch it Mr Wannous, you bent it so far back it couldn’t retract into the ground,” Mr Raleigh said.
“And you have an obligation to report a collision like this straight to the nearest police station when you can’t find or don’t know the owner of the object you hit.”
Mr Raleigh said normally he would cancel a licence for not reporting a collision, but in Wannous’ case, it was different.
“This is an unusual incident, so I’m not going to take your licence off you Mr Wannous,” he said.
“I am ordering you to pay $1485 in restitution to pay for the damage to the bollard, and a further $500 fine.”
“If you have an accident like this in the future, you must contact the owner or report it directly to the police.”
Edmund Nelson
Sandringham man Edmund Nelson fronted Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on March 1, pleading guilty to possession of a prohibited substance and drug paraphernalia.
The court heard police saw Nelson in his black Subaru parked diagonally outside his home in October 2022, with music blaring.
The court was told officers approached the car, and saw Nelson in the driver’s seat, behaving erratically.
Due to his behaviour the officers decided to undertake a vehicle search.
The court heard police found a black bag in the back seat of the Subaru, which, after further investigation, was found to contain an ice pipe and a small bottle of GHB inside.
The court heard Nelson told police he “didn’t know it was GHB”, and that he “didn’t want to incriminate himself.”
The court heard Nelson was on a waitlist for a drug treatment and psychology program.
Magistrate Raleigh fined Nelson $500 without a conviction.
“I can see you’re trying Mr Nelson,” he said.
“I hope you get off it, because if you don’t, you’ll be back here and onto a CCO or behind bars.”
Joshua Forrest
An Elwood man who assaulted his ex-girlfriend’s new partner has blamed the combination of a toxic relationship and an ADHD diagnosis on his actions.
Joshua Forrest, 22, appeared in Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on March 1, pleading guilty to assault.
The court heard Forrest had driven past his ex-girlfriend and her new partner in October 2022, before pulling over and verbally harassing her.
After beeping his car horn at the couple multiple times and yelling out of the window, the court heard Forrest exited the car, before pushing his victim up against a brick wall.
The court heard that a short struggle ensued, before Forrest got back into his car and drove away on Nepean Highway.
Forrest doubled back and approached the couple again, causing multiple calls to the police.
The court heard Forrest continued to fight his ex-girlfriend’s new partner, punching him multiple times to the head, before police attended to separate them.
The court heard Forrest told police his victim “started it” and that he had only assaulted his victim due to “frustration” at his ex girlfriend.
The court heard Forrest had been diagnosed with ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder, as well as being on the autism spectrum.
Magistrate Raleigh said despite there being no prior offending, there was no way to know this hadn’t happened before.
“This is a man who has continued to punch a person with no reason to do so,” he said.
“I don’t know if he hasn’t assaulted someone else before, he’s attacked this bloke twice, for absolutely no reason.”
The court heard Forrest had been undertaking anger management sessions and was seeing his GP and a psychologist to help regulate his emotions.
“Continue your anger management program and seeing your doctor,” Magistrate Raleigh said.
“I’m putting you on an adjourned undertaking, it’s basically a good behaviour bond. If you breach this, you’ll be back here and on a CCO with a conviction.”
Kanwarbir Singh
A man who forgot to place his commercial vehicle signage on his car has challenged a $2219 fine.
The court heard Malvern man Kanwarbir Singh had just started a shift with Uber in July 2022, when police fined him for not displaying commercial vehicle signage.
Mr Singh told the court he had been driving down Glenferrie Rd in Malvern when police pulled him over.
“I’d just had dinner with my family and started my shift,” he said.
“I’d only just logged in.”
The court heard police had seen Mr Singh driving in his black Nissan Pulsar up the often busy main road, and could see Uber signage, but no commercial vehicle signage required by Uber drivers.
During the traffic stop, the court heard Mr Singh had pulled the commercial sign out of his pocket, and told police he had forgotten to put it into one of the windows.
“I was wondering why you hadn’t paid the fine,” Magistrate Raleigh said.
“But when you said it was $2219, I understood why.”
“On the basis of you having no prior convictions and remorse, I’m giving you the opportunity to be on an undertaking for good behaviour.”
Mr Singh walked away without a fine or conviction.
gemma.scerri@news.com.au
