Accused fatal boat crash skipper has court date delayed

The man accused of causing a fatal boat crash in which a young footy player’s mother died has had his case pushed back by more than two months.

A man accused of causing a boat crash which claimed the lives of two women, one of whom is the mother of a rising AFL star, had briefly had his case heard in court.

John Burdon was charged on February 6 over the crash which occurred on January 21, in which he was allegedly behind the wheel of a boat which hit a red channel marker in the Mandurah estuary, causing the death of his wife, 54-year-old Deborah, and 52-year-old Kylie Bazzo.

Ms Bazzo was the mother of young West Coast Eagle Rhett Bazzo.

Mr Burdon, 47, did not appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning, instead having his matter heard by consent, meaning it was dealt with in the absence of Mr Burdon or his legal counsel.

His bail was renewed, and the matter was adjourned until May 10.

Kylie Bazzo (centre), pictured with son Rhett and daughter Kameron, was killed in the crash on January 21.

It means Mr Burdon is allowed to remain free in the community, albeit under bail conditions originally set out in his first appearance in Mandurah Magistrates Court on February 6.

Mr Burdon, charged with two counts of manslaughter, was granted bail on a $100,000 surety and a $100,000 personal undertaking.

He was forced to surrender his passport, can’t leave Western Australia and must remain at his Halls Head address.

At his first appearance, Mr Burdon needed to support himself using a crutch, as he was still suffering from serious injuries sustained in the boat crash.

Police at the time did not oppose bail, although they did reveal to the court the bail conditions would need to be stringent, as Mr Burdon had a drink-driving conviction from 2019.

Mr Burdon’s lawyer, Michael Tudori, told the court at the time his client would likely return to fly-in fly-out work once he recovered from his injuries.