JURY TO DECIDE
THE fate of a man charged over an alleged hit-run death near Geelong now rests in the hands of a jury.
Final arguments were made in the County Court yesterday for the trial of Billy-Jay Glynn, who struck and killed a teenager while driving at Buckley in 2017.
Mr Glynn, 23, has pleaded not guilty to charges of dangerous driving causing death and failing to render assistance after an accident.
The prosecution alleges Mr Glynn’s car headlights were either too dim or not activated when he careered head-on into Winchelsea man Tyler Dean.
Mr Dean, 18, was riding a motorised pushbike with no lights attached when he was hit on an unlit road late on October 18, 2017.
Mr Glynn claims his Nissan Patrol headlights were operating and that he did not stop to help because he thought he had hit a kangaroo.
But in his final address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Grant Hayward argued it did “not make sense” to believe Mr Dean stayed in the path of an oncoming car if its headlights were on.
“If (Mr Glynn) was shining his lights bright and clear … Mr Dean would have seen him,” he said. “He would’ve moved out of the way and would be alive today.”
Mr Hayward also disputed the claim that Mr Glynn believed he had struck a kangaroo, noting the driver told investigators he was “freaking out” and had a “feeling” he had hit a person while driving away from the scene.
“He didn’t check if someone needed help,” Mr Hayward said. “His response was to turn the lights on briefly and drive away.”
Defence barrister Tim Sullivan described Mr Dean’s death as “tragic”, but argued there were holes in the prosecution case that cast doubt on the allegations against his client.
A 12-person jury will begin deliberations today. MORE than 100 Corio prep students will surf the net of a different kind this month, after receiving new tennis racquets thanks to initiative Racquet Roadshow.
Northern Bay College’s 141 prep students are among over 500 lucky schools in the country to get into the swing of things, as part of ANZ’s Tennis Hot Shots program.
Tennis Victoria presented the racquets to the Corio students this week, with an aim to get more kids active in schools.
“I believe tennis is uniquely placed to help put an end to the inactivity crisis that is currently facing this next generation of children in Australia,” Tennis Australia’s chief tennis officer, Matt Dwyer, said.
“By introducing a racquet to these children in their formative years at school we can help play a role in their approach to physical activity.”
The Racquet Roadshow initiative comes after a 25-year observational study confirmed that racquet sports, including tennis, can increase life expectancy by almost 10 years.
“It’s extraordinary to think that playing tennis can add almost 10 years to your life and I’m sure this is a statistic that will encourage more families and kids to pick up a racquet and get out on court,” threetime Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott said.
“Having the opportunity to put racquets in the hands of so many kids is a great way to motivate them to get outside, get active and have a hit with their friends.”