Retired policeman Scott Hanley says he was en route to the Daniel and Catherine Andrews crash when another officer ‘jumped the call’

A former leading senior constable at Rosebud police station has revealed his concerns over an “irregular and significant departure from standard operating procedure”.

A retired police officer who says his unit was called away from the scene of the Daniel and Catherine Andrews car crash described the alleged move as an “irregular and significant departure from standard operating procedure”.

Scott Hanley, a former leading senior constable at Rosebud police station, said his patrol car was en route to the Blairgowrie smash “with lights and sirens” when a senior constable from Rye “jumped the call” on January 7, 2013.

Mr Hanley has provided a sworn statement to lawyers for Ryan Meuleman, who was 15 when he was struck by the Andrews family SUV, detailing his concerns regarding the “unusual” decision for a more junior senior constable and constable to take over the response.

Mr Hanley has spoken after a bombshell review by former assistant commissioner Raymond Shuey revealed another unit took over the job despite being further away, and flagged a series of major issues in the police response, concluding the Andrews’ SUV was “travelling at speed” on the wrong side of the road when it hit the cyclist.

Former leading senior constable Scott Hanley says he was called away from the scene of the crash in 2013.

Dr Shuey, who died last month, found Victoria Police had engaged in “an overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a life-threatening” incident, with the Meuleman family calling for the crash investigation to be reopened.

Mr Andrews slammed Dr Shuey’s review on Tuesday in a joint statement with his wife, saying they would not dignify “these appalling conspiracy theories”.

“This so-called report was commissioned by lawyers on behalf of their clients who are seeking money through the courts by suing their former lawyers … we did nothing wrong,” they said.

It comes as lawyers for the Meulemans zero in on the role played by Mr Andrews’ former chief of staff, current Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Curran, in the aftermath of the smash.

Daniel and Catherine Andrews issued a statement hitting back at what they described as ‘appalling conspiracy theories’. Picture: AAP

Mr Curran was served with a subpoena requiring him to hand over his phone records and drafts of all press releases relating to the crash outside his home last week.

In his statement regarding the day of the crash, Mr Hanley says: “As protocol required, we were to proceed to the scene promptly, secure it, render what assistance we could to the injured party and wait for the ambulance.

“Further to this we were to investigate the crash, gather evidence, take statements etc in line with the Victorian police manual. I remember thinking that it was unusual for (name redacted) to take the job. I was by far the most experienced and senior officer of either the two units.

“It was also unusual that, given the busy holiday traffic, (name redacted) did not request us as a backup unit to assist with traffic control on Melbourne Rd, or to escort the ambulance and secure the landing site for the Air Ambulance.”

Ryan Meuleman was 15 when he was struck by the Andrews family SUV.

Dr Shuey’s review found the replacement Rye unit then took another “six and a half minutes to leave” their station.

Of the six-minute delay, Mr Hanley said: “This lost time is critical in a potentially fatal crash, no other emergency services were yet on scene. We have a duty of care to any victims to ‘maintain life’ until more qualified emergency services arrive on scene …

“Afterwards, the incident and the identity of the family involved were widely known and discussed in the local police stations. Given the high profile of Mr Andrews and the serious injuries to the child, we couldn’t understand why the Traffic Management Unit weren’t called. “This was an immediate red flag.

“The crash was widely reported in the press on Wednesday 16 January. The incident then became the subject of intra police discussions, in particular, the fact that the alleged driver was not breath tested.”

Scott Hanley says there are questions over why Traffic Management Unit weren’t called, given Mr Andrews’ profile. Picture: Getty

Victoria Police said it would not be reopening its probe.

“Victoria Police conducted a thorough investigation into this matter, as did IBAC,” a spokesperson said.

Ryan’s lawyer James Catlin said: “How can they close an investigation before taking a statement from the victim?

“As for the IBAC investigation, it only looked at why a breathalyser test didn’t take place.”

Former policeman was on a mission to shine a light on crash

The grieving family of late police chief Raymond Shuey say he was determined to uncover the truth behind the 2013 car crash involving Daniel and Catherine Andrews and a teenage cyclist.

Dr Shuey died last month, just days after submitting a bombshell review of the flawed police probe into the near-fatal smash as part of a Supreme Court damages claim launched by Ryan’s family. The state’s former Assistant Commissioner for Traffic and Operations, who helped pioneer the “Wipe off 5” campaign, Dr Shuey spent a year re-examining the crash and all FOI documents and witness statements.

“He never divulged anything that he shouldn’t, but we knew what he was working on,” Dr Shuey’s step-son Guy White said.

Dr Raymond Shuey’s step-son Guy White. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Dr Raymond Shuey died last month, days after submitting his bombshell review. Picture Rebecca Michael.

“He was pretty damn crook in the end but he would still somehow keep getting the work done, to the point where mum was saying he would shuffle down from the office and sit down at the kitchen table and just rest his head on his hands.

“That was him. He was just one tough old bastard. He’d taken it on and if he said he was going to do it - he would do it.”

Mr White said Dr Shuey completed the review days before passing away in the Epworth Hospital after a health battle linked to exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

“He was never not a policeman … and while there was work to be done he was doing it,” Mr White said. Asked if the family would be proud if Dr Shuey’s report helped bring closure to the long-running dispute, Mr White said: “Yes. He had the faculties and expertise to be able to shine a light on it like many others probably couldn’t or couldn’t be bothered. He didn’t have to be doing that but it (the crash) just didn’t sit well with him.”