Peter Koutsogiannakis ran a red light in a stolen car, hitting and killing a cyclist at Hampton Park
A serial driving offender ploughed through a red light at speed in a stolen car and killed a much-loved cyclist on his way to work before destroying the car in a fire.
South East
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A killer driver with an appalling driving history who ploughed through a red light in a stolen car and killed a cyclist before setting fire to the vehicle has been jailed for nearly eight years.
Peter Koutsogiannakis was found guilty by a jury of dangerous driving causing death and failing to render assistance after a crash and appeared in the County Court on Monday for sentencing.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to seven years and 10 months with a minimum non-parole of five years and three months.
Koutsogiannakis caused the death of much-loved cyclist Makaro Manapori, 58, at the intersection of Pound Rd and Hallam Rd in Hampton Park on January 6, 2022.
A disqualified driver, he failed to stop and drove a further 20km to the Brentwood Reserve on Maylands Crescent in Glen Waverley where he set the Holden Cruze — stolen from an apartment’s underground carpark in Doncaster — alight and ran away.
Mr Manapori died at the scene and his bike was found 48m away.
Judge Frances Hogan said Koutsogiannakis was spotted driving at an estimated 100km/h shortly before the crash and crossed the red light 14 seconds after it had turned red.
Mr Manapori’s bike was hit with such force that he was thrown off his bike about 45m away and came to a rest on his back. Motorists stopped to render assistance but Mr Manapori showed no signs of life and died at the scene.
A post mortem revealed he died after his spine was fractured as a result of the collision.
Koutsogiannakis’ lawyer contacted police after an appeal for information and despite attending the Melbourne West police station, Judge Hogan said he challenged the charges and took the case to trial.
As officers approached him at the police station, Judge Hogan said Koutsogiannakis rose to his feet, put his hands up either side of his body as though he was surrendering himself.
He told the officers “I couldn’t live with myself” and when pressed for clarity, he referred to the crash and said he wanted to come to the police station the night before.
Judge Hogan referred to Koutsogiannakis’ significant criminal history for driving and dishonesty offences, especially stealing of number plates, dating back to 2013.
She said less than three weeks after causing Mr Manapori’s death, Koutsogiannakis committed further driving offences and that his eventual arrest was necessary for public safety.
“It was only a matter of time before you killed someone, given your scant regard for the law.
Within a short time of causing his death, you again offended. This would be likely to shock the conscience of members of the community,” she said.
Judge Hogan described Koutsogiannakis’ driving on the day of the crash as “selfish and immature” and said he has a sense of entitlement when it came to dishonesty offending and safety of road users.
Koutsogiannakis has been disqualified from obtaining a driver’s licence for 10 years.
