Remorseless hit-run killer Jason Ruscoe’s criminal history revealed

A remorseless hit-run driver who killed a beloved father in Carrum Downs had only been released from prison 10 days earlier for similar dangerous driving.

The remorseless hit-run killer of beloved father Timmy Rakei had only been released from prison 10 days earlier for similar dangerous driving.

The “appalling” criminal history of killer driver Jason Ruscoe, 33, was laid out in the County Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death, negligent driving causing serious injury and two counts of failing to render assistance over the Carrum Downs crash on November 9, 2021.

The court heard Ruscoe tore through the Hall Rd roadworks zone at up to 100km/h, crushing Mr Rakei, a traffic controller, against a work ute before he was flung onto the road and died.

Fellow traffic controller Shaun Kilmartin was also seriously injured, believing he was going to die.

“I thought I was going to die here … that I’d never see my kids again,” Mr Kilmartin told the court.

Beloved father of four Timmy Rakei was killed in the crash. Picture: Brianna Travers

Ruscoe, a disqualified driver, fled the scene on foot before taking off in a getaway car driven by his friend Ashley Luke Powell, who had his infant son on his lap at the time.

The pair drove to Baxter Park where Ruscoe set fire to his clothes and tried to avoid arrest until two days later when police found him but were unable to conduct drug or alcohol tests.

The court heard Ruscoe had an appalling criminal history, spending less than a year out of custody since he was first imprisoned in April 2013 at the age of 22.

Just 10 days prior to the fatal hit-run, Ruscoe had been released on a community corrections order for driving in a dangerous manner and reckless conduct endangering life.

Police at the scene of the fatal crash in Carrum Downs. Picture: Jason Edwards

Judge Robyn Louise Harper said his criminal history showed it was “inevitable” he’d one day kill someone.

“When you look at his priors, this was inevitable,” Judge Harper said.

“He was on a trajectory that was always going to result in a tragedy like this because of his behaviour in vehicles.”

Mr Rakei’s partner Tania Boyte stared down Ruscoe in court, telling him the wrong person died that day.

“I do not forgive you. You knew what you were doing that day,” she said in court.

“On that day your actions showed the type of person you are and honestly the wrong person died.”

Tania Boyce, widow of hit-run victim Timmy Rakei, speaks to the media outside court. Picture: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

Ms Boyce is comforted by surviving victim Shaun Kilmartin. Picture:NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

Ms Boyte said their young daughter still texts her father’s phone often, willing the messages to appear as read.

She said her daughter told her: “I wish we were ghosts so we could go see daddy”.

The court heard Ruscoe has shown no remorse for his actions, took two years to enter a guilty plea and has poor prospects for rehabilitation.

He will be sentenced on March 14.

Powell was sentenced last July to three years and four months in prison for assisting Ruscoe in the aftermath of the crash.