By Rebecca Peppiatt
Perth man Jamie Glasfurd, 62, allegedly had alcohol and methamphetamine in his system when he ploughed his car into a crowd of people outside a CBD bar, killing one man and injuring several others in August 2021.
A Supreme Court of Western Australia jury heard the details of Glasfurd’s alleged crimes on the first day of his four-week trial on Monday, with state prosecutor Brett Tooker claiming the accused deliberately accelerated up the hill on Pier Street before losing control of his vehicle.
Emergency crews assist an injured person at the scene of a crash in Pier Street, in the Perth CBD where a vehicle ploughed through an alfresco killing one and injuring several on August 20, 2021.Credit: Nine News
The jury was shown confronting footage of Glasfurd driving a “supercharged” V8 Range Rover SUV at about 92 kilometres an hour in a 40 kilometre zone on Pier Street at 6.30pm on Friday, August 20.
The CCTV showed the car crashing into a white Toyota Corolla parked outside the My Place bar, where patrons were dining outside.
Tooker alleged the impact from Glasfurd’s Range Rover killed 71-year-old Dirk Taljaard and injured a man in his 40s and four men in their 20s.
Glasfurd driver’s license was allegedly suspended at the time of the incident.
Afterwards, Glasfurd allegedly said to doctors: “What does it matter, I just killed a man?”
He also allegedly told a psychiatrist, who was assessing whether he was suicidal at the time of the crash, that he came out of a car park on Pier Street then “put his foot down and went for it”.
“The state says this is a crucial admission,” Tooker said.
“He told the doctor the truth, that he had put his foot down and he went for it and we say having done that, he then lost control.”
The court was also told of Glasfurd’s prior driving history which included convictions for reckless driving, dangerous driving and traffic infringements relating to excessive speed.
On one occasion in 2019, a car Glasfurd was driving and another vehicle collided in Mandurah causing injuries to himself and the occupants of the other vehicle. Blood analysis later revealed he had methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system.
On another occasion in 2016, Glasfurd was convicted of reckless driving after travelling at 163km/h in a 100km/h zone, and in 2011 was clocked driving at 150km/h on the Mitchell Freeway.
Tooker said the convictions showed Glasfurd had “a lead foot”.
Tooker also showed jurors CCTV of Glasfurd driving erratically in the hours leading up to the crash, as well as footage of him sitting on a park bench on Murray Street drinking beer with a man for around 40 minutes before returning to his car and driving off.
Other footage showed the then 60-year-old speeding through a red light on Pier Street, moments before the fatal incident.
“We know from his history that he has a tendency to drive at excessive speed,” Tooker said.
“Furthermore, he’d previously been in a crash where he was speeding under the influence of methamphetamine. In that instance everyone ended up in hospital. It supports the evidence that he deliberately sped up the hill on Pier Street.
“He has a habit of speeding excessively.
“It’s the state’s case that this is a man with a lead foot.”
Glasfurd has pleaded not guilty to all six of the charges laid against him which include manslaughter, grievous bodily harm and bodily harm caused by dangerous driving.
His defence lawyer Simon Freitag will give his opening statement on Tuesday, and it was indicated he would argue Glasfurd was suffering from a hyperglycemic episode which caused a seizure and meant his client pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, causing the incident.
The trial continues.
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