ATV owner charged after fatal beach rollover at at Toolakea Beach, Townsville

A Castle Hill man whose ATV buggy was involved in a fatal rollover on a quiet Townsville beach is now facing traffic charges after police alleged the vehicle was unregistered and uninsured.

Bruce Allan Butler leaving Townsville Magistrates Court after his matters were mentioned on Thursday. Picture: Natasha Emeck

A Castle Hill man whose ATV buggy was involved in a fatal rollover on a quiet Townsville beach is now facing traffic charges after police alleged the vehicle was unregistered and uninsured.

Bruce Allan Butler, 55, appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday, charged with permitting a person to drive an uninsured vehicle and vehicles used on roads must be registered.

The alleged offences occurred at Toolakea Beach between August 14 and 17 last year.

25-year-old Jacob Francis Ingles sadly passed away in a ATV buggy crash on Toolakea beach on August 16, 2024. Picture: Facebook/Jacob Francis Ingles

The charges were laid following a police investigation into a tragic incident on August 16, 2024, when Butler’s ATV buggy rolled on the northern end of Toolakea Beach about 2.15am.

Malanda man Jacob Francis Ingles, 25, who was a passenger in the buggy, died at the scene.

The alleged driver, a 23-year-old Hermit Park man, and another passenger in his 50s were taken to Townsville University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

During a brief court appearance, Butler’s defence lawyer requested a lengthy adjournment to obtain a psychiatric report, telling the court the traffic charges were “part of a more serious investigation.”

He also flagged a possible application to have the complaints dismissed under section 172 of the Mental Health Act.

Magistrate Richard Lehmann adjourned the matter to June 11.

Originally published as ATV owner charged after fatal beach rollover at at Toolakea Beach, Townsville