By Clare Sibthorpe and Riley Walter
A magistrate has expressed bewilderment at an engineering student accused of riding his unregistered motorcycle through a fatal car crash site on the Harbour Bridge, ignoring roadblocks and accelerating at a police officer.
Ali Al-Robay, 25, was on Friday refused bail at Downing Centre Local Court for allegedly speeding over the closed bridge and through the crime scene towards officers, as emergency services rushed to treat the injured.
Ali Al-Robay is in the final year of a degree at University of Technology Sydney.Credit: Facebook
Two men, aged 44 and 51, died after a car travelling north crossed into oncoming southbound traffic and caused a multi-vehicle crash on Thursday afternoon.
Jamal Choukri has since been identified as the 44-year-old man killed when he was hit by the northbound car about 1.40pm, Nine News said. Choukri had reportedly moved to Sydney from Morocco in recent years.
Magistrate Clare Farnan asked Al-Robay’s lawyer George Thomas “what on earth was going on” in his client’s mind.
Jamal Choukri was killed in a head-on collision on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Thomas described it as an “act of stupidity” that was “unplanned and spontaneous”.
The court heard Al-Robay, who is in his final year of civil engineering study at the University of Technology Sydney and has a shocking driving record, rode around a barrier to get onto the Clarence Street ramp to the Bradfield Highway.
Police allege he drove around other stationary traffic, including a tow truck, and continued north in lane one as a large group of emergency workers treated patients.
A constable saw him and approached him in lane one, the court heard. The officer thought Al-Robay was going to stop as he had slowed down to 10km/h, but he allegedly accelerated towards the officer, bruising his leg and grazing his hand.
Police arrest the motorcyclist at the crash scene on Thursday afternoon.Credit: Dylan Coker
The bike crashed into a guard rail and Al-Robay was quickly arrested.
Police discovered Al-Robay was driving an unregistered motorcycle with fake plates and his provisional licence had been suspended due to demerit points.
Opposing bail, the prosecution alleged Al-Robay ignored calls from police to stop as he travelled at 60-70km/h in a 40km/h zone, and the constable was “extremely lucky” not to have been injured further.
Thomas noted Al-Robay’s criminal record included various community-based sentences for police pursuits, driving while disqualified and registration offences.
Two people died in the crash which brought traffic to a standstill.Credit: Nine News
But he said Al-Robay was remorseful when interviewed by police.
He proposed strict bail conditions including not leaving the Bankstown house he lives in with his parents and siblings, except to attend university and work.
Farnan ultimately refused Al-Robay bail due to his unacceptable risk of committing a serious offence given his “concerning attitude of noncompliance with the law”.
“How could I have any confidence in someone who behaves like he is alleged to have behaved?” she asked Thomas.
“How could I have confidence that he would comply with anything?”
Farnan noted it was a “very strong prosecution case” against him.
Al-Robay’s father, who offered a $10,000 surety, sat in the courtroom as his son appeared via audiovisual link from custody.
Al-Robay was charged with 12 driving offences relating to the Harbour Bridge incident, including driving while suspended, driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle, disobeying a no entry sign, not complying with a direction to stop and assaulting a police officer in execution of their duty.
He has not entered any pleas and will next face court on October 25.
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