Shannon Dunk: Adroit Building boss pleads guilty over Flinders Island quad bike roll

A man has fronted a Tasmanian court on four charges after he blamed the passenger of a quad bike he was driving for the accident that left her with spinal damage and in intensive care.

Cape Woolamai construction boss Shannon Damien Dunk, 40. Picture: LinkedIn

The Victorian boss of a construction company has pleaded guilty to four charges in a Tasmanian court after he blamed the passenger of a quad bike he was driving for an accident that left her with spinal cord damage and in intensive care for a fortnight.

Phillip Island man Shannon Damien Dunk, 40, the managing director of concrete and labour hire firm Adroit Building, appeared in Launceston Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with making a false report to police, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and not wearing a helmet.

Magistrate Ken Stanton sentenced him to six weeks’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for 12 months, fined him $500 and ordered he pay court costs of $91.40.

The court heard that the offences occurred just after midnight on July 3 last year on Edens Rd, near North East River on Flinders Island. Dunk was on the island to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday.

When the party ran low on booze, Dunk, who said he had only drunk three light beers, volunteered to drive the quad bike along a bush track to a neighbouring property.

He took a partygoer aged in her forties along for the ride. She sat pillion.

Upon their return, at about 12.06am, Dunk lost control of the quad bike on the uneven surface as he attempted to turn right onto Edens Rd.

The court was told the quad bike rolled down an embankment, throwing Dunk, who suffered minor injuries, and trapping the woman under the vehicle. Neither were wearing helmets.

The passenger was flown to Launceston General Hospital suffering spinal, neck and abdominal injuries. The court was told she spent two weeks in intensive care, a further seven in the recovery ward and was required to wear a back brace subsequently.

When police from Whitemark attended the scene, Dunk told officers it was in fact he who was riding pillion. News reports from organisations including ABC, The Australian and The Mercury all reported it was the woman driving, as per the police advice.

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In a subsequent interview the following day, Dunk admitted he was driving but falsely claimed that his passenger had leant forward and pressed the acceleration, causing the loss of control.

He claimed that he lied the day prior because he was “confused and concussed,” the court was told.

It was only on August 19 last year that he confessed to the second version also being falsified.

It was submitted on Dunk’s behalf that his memories of the accident and its aftermath were “fragmented,” as he lost consciousness following the crash and was “disoriented and dazed afterwards”.

In mitigation, his defence lawyer noted that Dunk was not charged over his manner of driving.

“The road itself was very poorly maintained,” his lawyer said.

Mr Stanton, the magistrate, was scathing of Dunk’s attempt to dodge responsibility.

“There can be no justification for telling such a lie,” Mr Stanton said.

He said it led to an “invasion" of the woman’s privacy, as her blood was required to be tested due to the possibility of her committing an offence under the Road Safety (Alcohol and Drugs) Act 1970. It was in fact Dunk who should have been required to give blood.

Originally published as Shannon Dunk: Adroit Building boss pleads guilty over Flinders Island quad bike roll