Melbourne car crash: Australian man charged in fatal pub incident that left 5 Indians dead
PTC Web Desk: A 66-year-old Australian man, identified as William Swale, faced charges on Monday in relation to a tragic car crash into a Melbourne pub that resulted in the death of five persons from two Indian-origin families, as reported by the media.
The Melbourne car crash, which occurred at Royal Daylesford Hotel on November 5, led to the death of Vivek Bhatia (38), his son Vihan (11), Pratibha Sharma (44), her daughter Anvi (9), and her husband Jatin Kumar (30). Bhatia's wife, Ruchi, and younger son, Abir, sustained injuries and were later discharged after receiving treatment.
William Swale, who has had Type 1 diabetes for 30 years, faces charges, including five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury, and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life, as per Australia's ABC News.
Detective Sergeant Peter Romanis informed the Melbourne Magistrates' Court that Swale had scanned his blood glucose monitoring device at 5:17 pm, approximately 40 minutes before the crash, revealing a glucose level of 2.9 millimoles per litre of blood, considered below a safe threshold.
It was stated that Swale had received and disregarded eight mobile phone alerts from a blood glucose monitoring app before the car crash. Surveillance footage showed him entering a wine bar and returning to his vehicle shortly before driving it at various times, culminating in the loss of control of his BMW at 6:07 pm.
The car veered off Albert Street, striking diners seated in the pub's outdoor area. Romanis mentioned that witnesses described Swale as "sweaty," "hot," and "clammy" after the collision.
Swale's lawyer defended his client, stating a plea of not guilty, arguing that the incident was a result of a "medical episode." The court remanded Swale in custody until Friday, pending a bail decision by Magistrate Brett Sonnet. Meanwhile, the legal proceedings will continue.
- With inputs from agencies
