A 48-year-old man has appeared in court after allegedly hitting an elderly man on a mobility scooter with his ute in Sydney’s west – killing the victim – before driving away.
Hubertus Mallens, 87, was allegedly struck by a ute at the Mulgoa Road and Ransley Street intersection in Penrith just before 1pm on Friday. He was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
Seamus Rafter has been charged with dangerous driving after allegedly killing an 87-year-old with his ute in Penrith.
Police arrested Seamus Rafter, 48, an hour after the incident at Westfield Penrith. He was taken to Nepean Hospital for mandatory testing.
Rafter has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, failure to stop and assist after a vehicle impact occasioning death, negligent driving, and failure to stop at a red light.
Appearing briefly via video link, Rafter faced Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday afternoon, represented by defence lawyer Jessica Su, where he did not apply for bail.
Rafter will next face court on Friday in Penrith.
In a separate incident, four people, including two teenagers, were killed in a head-on collision on the Newell Highway near Dubbo on Friday night.
Best friends Joey Urban, 19, and Lochie Jacobs, 18, were killed after the ute they were travelling in south of Dubbo collided with a van just after 9pm.
NSW Police inspector Rob Bevern said it was still too early to determine the cause of the crash.
“In one of the vehicles we’ve had an 18 and 19-year-old tragically lose their life, and in the other vehicle, two 57-year-old occupants have unfortunately lost their life as well,” he said.
The driver of the ute was taken to hospital to be treated for leg injuries.
The Newell Highway has been closed after police established a crime scene.
With Eryk Bagshaw
correction
An earlier version of this article said Rafter was considering entering an early guilty plea. This is incorrect. The matter will be subject to the Early Appropriate Guilty Plea Scheme as occurs with all indictable charges.