Thanh Vo fronts court for dangerous driving causing serious injury

The mother of two boys who were almost killed by an unlicensed driver who mistook the accelerator for brake broke down in court as the horrific details of the incident were laid bare.

An unlicensed driver who mistook the accelerator for brake while getting in some practice behind the wheel and mowed down two Braybrook siblings in front of their horrified family has been jailed.

Thanh Ngoc Vo, 49, struck brothers Burak Pek, 3, and eight-year-old Huseyin Pek with his wife’s Toyota Prado while the siblings were playing in a laneway behind their grandparents’ house on September 26, 2023.

The Vietnamese national had arrived in Australia just five days prior to the crash that left Huseyin with critical injuries that required emergency surgery and multiple blood transfusions at The Royal Children’s Hospital.

Vo was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to 10 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year community corrections order.

Burak Pek, left, and his brother Huseyin Pek, were mowed down by unlicensed driver Thanh Vo as they played in a laneway in Braybrook. Picture : gofundme

The siblings’ mother sobbed openly in court and left the courtroom briefly as Judge Duncan Allen read out the circumstances leading to the crash.

In an apology letter to the siblings’ family, Vo sought forgiveness and said he always prayed for the family’s good health and prosperity.

He said he wanted to visit and apologise but police would not allow him to and spoke of his heartbreak and grief at injuring the children.

Vo was a personal trainer in Vietnam and came to Australia to join his Melbourne-based wife and her daughter.

Judge Allen said the siblings were playing outside their grandparents’ house when Vo, who did not have a driving licence, decided to take his wife’s Prado round the block to practice driving.

After finishing with a few laps, he decided to park the Prado but accidentally put his foot on the accelerator and rammed into another vehicle in front. Huseyin was jammed between the two vehicles and suffered life-threatening injuries while Burak escaped with minor injuries.

The Toyota Prado Thinh Vo was driving which mowed down Burak Pek and his older brother Huseyin Pek at Braybrook. Picture: 7News

Judge Allen said the brothers’ grandparntes watched in horror with their hands in the air.

When police arrived, Vo was on his knees praying and admitted his wrongdoing.

“You believed what you needed to do in Australia in order to drive a motor vehicle was to practice driving but you didn’t understand the legal requirements of driving,’’ Judge Allen said.

“That’s no excuse and you now accept that you made a shocking error of judgement and appalling decision,” Judge Allen said.

With no priors and of excellent character, he said Vo’s conduct was a shocking error of judgment and an aberration in an otherwise commendable life he had lived.