Chapel St hit run crash victim’s family travelling to Melbourne to bid farewell
THE family of a dutch cyclist killed in a horror hit-run crash on Chapel St is expected to travel to Melbourne to bid her farewell, as the man accused of driving the stolen Mercedes involved faced court for the first time.
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THE family of a Dutch cyclist killed in a horror hit-run accident on Sunday is expected to travel to Melbourne today to bid her farewell.
And the man accused of being at the wheel of the stolen Mercedes involved in the South Yarra crash faced court for the first time yesterday.
MAN CHARGED OVER HORROR SOUTH YARRA HIT-RUN CRASH
Michael Panayides, 26, of no fixed address, smiled and made a peace sign as he was driven to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
Dressed in blue police-provided overalls and a white T-shirt, his left arm heavily bandaged, he appeared briefly in the dock before magistrate Phillip Goldberg.
He has been charged with culpable driving causing death, failing to render assistance, and dealing with the proceeds of crime, and was remanded to reappear in December.
The white SUV, which sped down Chapel St and swerved into the cycling lane near the corner of Simmons St, had been stolen from a home in Elsternwick a week earlier.
Who stole the luxury car, how it came to be in Chapel St, where it had been and where it was going, and how the driver came to be at the wheel will all be examined in an intensive police investigation that may raise further serious questions about the state’s justice system.
Mr Panayides was arrested in Bourke St in the city on Monday night, ending a two-day manhunt, after a member of the public saw him and called police, reporting that he resembled an image of the suspect they were seeking.
On Tuesday, flowers and a painted white “ghost” bicycle marked the spot in Chapel St where the cyclist, 27, was struck by the SUV and pinned against another car.
Police have been supporting the Dutch tourist’s friends and relatives since the accident, about 10am on Sunday.
Witnesses have told police that after the crash they saw a man pick up his belongings and flee the wreckage of the Mercedes.
Suzanne Wright, 40, said she saw a man “staggering” past the Temperance Hotel as bystanders ran to help the cyclist, who was lying face down on the road. “It was a heartbreaking image,” she said.
“It makes you realise what a precious gift life is, and how quickly it can be taken.”
Ms Wright was among crowds of people — many of whom had lent their assistance during Sunday’s horrific events — who laid flowers at a makeshift shrine for the victim on Tuesday.
One heartfelt message, from firefighters, read: “We are so, so sorry.
“One behalf of our mates at Richmond Fire Station who attended and cared for your daughter, we, all firefighters, would like to pass on our deepest sympathies.
“Our thoughts are always with you.”
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