A man charged in relation to a Turvey Park crash that resulted in the tragic death of a 53-year-old man will remain behind bars after his bid for bail was refused.
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Holding back tears throughout his application, Joshua Byrne, 20, appeared in Wagga Local Court on Tuesday via video link, with his mother and pregnant partner watching on.
Father-of-three Craig Smith was pulling out of his workplace to see a client when his ute collided with a blue Commodore sedan about 10am on Monday.
The Ashmont man is charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, two counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle and negligent driving occasioning death.
Solicitor for the accused Dominic Holles told the court there were inconsistencies in witness statements and inadmissible opinions in relation to Byrne’s speed at the time of the alleged offence.
Mr Holles said his client, a third-year apprentice mechanic, was expecting a child with his partner in April next year.
“He could spend in excess of six months awaiting evidence, medical reports and investigations,” Mr Holles said.
“His partner has little support and the future would be far from certain if he was refused bail.”
Magistrate Erin Kennedy refused bail and told Byrne it was an extremely serious matter involving reckless conduct.
“I hear there are issues in this case which will need to be sorted but what I am seeing is a strong prosecution case,” Ms Kennedy said.
“I have been provided with a significant amount of evidence with a number of observations from community members.”
Byrne will next face court on January 10 next year.
