James Twentyman in court over crash that killed Harry Papagoras

A meth-fuelled driver responsible for the tragic death of a cyclist in Melbourne’s west has fessed up to driving charges.

Harry Papagoras was killed when he was hit riding his bicycle in Spotswood in September 2021. Picture: Facebook

A distraught mother-of-two has spoken about the heartbreaking moment she held her dying husband’s hand in hospital before she explained to her children their dad would never come home.

Reading her victim impact statement in the Victorian County Court on Monday, Nicole Papagoras said she lost not just her husband but also a friend, an advisor, and the father of their two children.

Her husband and Melbourne physiotherapist Harry Papagoras was riding his bicycle when he was struck by a car driven by meth-fuelled James Twentyman on Douglas Rd in Spotswood on September 12, 2021.

Twentyman, a plasterer, pleaded guilty in court on Monday to one charge of one charge of reckless conduct endangering serious injuries and another of culpable driving.

The 30-year-old swerved his Ford Territory on the wrong lane and slammed into a Honda Civic, driven by a woman, before hitting Mr Papagoras, who died shortly after arriving in hospital.

The case was heard in the Melbourne County Court

“The trauma of having police come to my door, of having to friend to ask a friend to look after my children so I could go to the hospital, of having a doctor explain that my husband who left only a few hours earlier trying to bike ride is dying,” Mrs Papagoras said, flanked by his father and well wishers in the public gallery.

“I am only able to hold his hand to say goodbye as he died. Holding my two children who were both nine years old and explain to them that their father would never come home is forever etched in my memory.

“Calling my family and his closest friends to explain that he’s gone is a job I never wanna repeat. The sense of powerlessness I had over his funeral when we were only allowed to have 10 people attend due to Covid restrictions, was immense.”

She said their family, holiday and retirement plans were all shattered. She spoke about how he adored his children, Jack and Rose.

“His clothes is still in my wardrobe, his toiletries in my bathroom, his wedding ring’s on my hand. The only solace that I have is that my husband loved riding his bike.

“He would have been riding his bike home, thinking about his family, thinking about his dinner plans, and living his dream. Unfortunately, his dream ended way too soon. He never came home,” she said.

She also read out Jack’s victim impact statement that highlighted how his dad taught him football techniques and how he enjoyed going to soccer matches with him.

“I remember him taking me to a Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City game. I liked talking, cheering and having an amazing meat pie,” Jack said in his statement.

Jack also liked going on bike rides with dad.

“I felt it was my fault because I was the one who reminded him that he needed to go and bike ride that day. I was going to go with him, but he said he was going to go on a longer bike ride,” he said.

Twentyman’s blood contained methamphetamine, amphetamine and delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. He was declared unfit for an interview at the police station.

Police investigations revealed he was speeding at at least 91km/h in a 60km/h zone at the time of the crash.

The female driver of the Honda Civic was trapped and had to be helped out by emergency service personnel.

She suffered multiple bruising and soreness.

Judge James Parrish adjourned the matter until October 30 for a further plea and sentence hearing and Twentyman was further remanded in custody.