Patrick Stephenson, accused killer of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy, pleads guilty to drink and drug driving
The man accused of murdering Samantha Murphy has admitted he drove while drunk and high on ecstasy in the months before the Ballarat mum went missing.
Police & Courts
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The accused killer of Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has admitted he drove while drunk and high on ecstasy in the months before Ms Murphy went missing.
Patrick Stephenson, 23, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Murphy, fronted the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he was convicted and slapped with a $2,500 fine.
The Herald Sun last year revealed that Mr Stephenson, from Mount Clear, had been hit with the driving charges following an alcohol-fuelled Grand Final bender in 2023.
Charge sheets allege he drove with a blood alcohol reading almost three times over the legal limit, at 0.148, and with MDMA in his system on October 1, 2023.
Mr Stephenson, the son of ex-AFL player Orren Stephenson, is accused of killing Mrs Murphy who has not been seen since she left her Ballarat East home to go for a run on February 4, 2024.
Extensive searches to find her body have so far been unsuccessful.
The court heard Mr Stephenson was riding a black motorbike along Armstrong St in Ballarat at 1.42am on October 1 when he failed to negotiate a turn in wet conditions.
The motorbike slid out from underneath him and he was thrown off, with police finding him lying injured in the middle of the road.
Fortunately, no one else was involved in the incident.
The prosecutor told the court that police “had difficulty communicating” with Mr Stephenson who was brought to Ballarat Base Hospital, where his blood was taken for alcohol and drug testing.
His defence lawyer Moya O’Brien said her client “sustained serious injuries” that night, including a lacerated spleen, head trauma, broken ribs and fractures.
She confirmed he had attended a Grand Final day party, which was then followed by a two-week stint in hospital.
The accused murderer, who was charged with the driving offences in March last year, pleaded guilty to careless driving, one count of drink driving and one count of drug driving.
Ms O’Brien said magistrate Guillaume Bailin should fine Mr Stephenson, noting his age and early plea of guilty.
But the prosecutor argued he had broken the law while on a good behaviour bond for similar offending in 2022.
Mr Bailin told Mr Stephenson he had a “high-range” blood alcohol reading and would be imposing a “stern” fine in the circumstances.
“(It was) luck alone no one else was injured or you weren’t killed,” he said.
If Mr Stephenson had not pleaded guilty and the charges were proven at a contested hearing, Mr Bailin said he would have imposed a term of imprisonment.
Mr Stephenson appeared via video link from custody, sporting a long beard and wearing a blue T-shirt.
Several of his family members tuned into court remotely to listen to the proceedings.
In November, Mr Stephenson pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Murphy and had his case fast-tracked to the Supreme Court for trial.
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