Melbourne, Oct 23 (IANS) A 24-year-old man pleaded guilty before an Australian county court on Monday to culpable driving, causing the death of a Sikh father of two in a car collision that occurred in Melbourne last year.
Nirvair Singh, 44, died on the spot from head and chest injuries after a jeep rammed into his Toyota Kluger on the Bulla-Diggers Rest Road northwest of Melbourne on August 30 last year.
Corey Comport, who drove under the influence of drugs, sobbed in Victorian County Court as he admitted he never should have been behind the wheel, the 9News channel reported.
The court heard that Comport was travelling 168km/h in an 80km/h zone when he struck a jeep that rammed into Nirvair’s vehicle at about 3.30 pm.
In the preceding 30 minutes before the crash, Comport evaded cops twice, with multiple drivers later telling police they were scared as he weaved between lanes and overtook them.
A roadside drug test showed that he was under the influence of GHB, methamphetamine, and ketamine.
The driver of the jeep escaped serious injury but she told the court she still struggled to get behind the wheel.
Nirvair’s wife Harpreet Kaur said his passing had left a void in her heart that seemed impossible to fill.
“Every moment, my thoughts are consumed with memories of him,” she told the court. Kaur said she felt the burden of being the sole parent to her two young sons, wanting to support them while also dealing with her grief.
The boys also wrote victim impact statements to the court, where they described how much they missed their father.
“My life will be very quiet and not joyful because my dad is not with me,” one of the boys said.
Seated at the back of the courtroom, Comport sobbed as he listened to the family’s statements, and later apologised to them, saying he stuffed up and he felt horrible, the 9News report said.
Comport admitted he had been given chances in the past and he wanted to “change his life and become a better person” once he was eventually released from jail.
He is planning to move interstate with his brother and start his life over again, away from drugs and bad influences, the report said.
County Court Judge Scott Johns adjourned the case to a further plea hearing in December so more psychological material could be obtained. Comport has been remanded in custody till his next court date.
–IANS
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