A teen driver had never held a licence and had smoked cannabis just hours before he lost control of his car in Unanderra on Friday night, leaving a female passenger fighting for her life, Wollongong Local Court has heard.
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The 19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, cried when he was told on Saturday during his bid for bail, that the 14-year-old female passenger was unlikely to survive, having sustained critical injuries.
Opposing the teen’s bail application, the lawyer acting for the police, Michael Knight, said the teen had been sentenced two weeks earlier over a police pursuit and driving without ever obtaining a licence and had been banned from driving.
‘‘[The accused’s] record is littered with traffic offences, demonstrating a flagrant disregard for traffic laws and the need to be licensed to drive on our state’s roads,’’ he told the court.
The teen was allegedly driving a Ford sedan south along Graham Street about 8.30pm on Friday with a female and male passenger.
Police claim the teen turned right into Waples Road where he lost control of the car, causing the front passenger side to impact heavily with a power pole.
The driver and the male passenger managed to escape from the car but the young girl was trapped.
She was freed a short time later and flown to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital where she remained in a critical condition, suffering massive internal injuries and a brain bleed.
The driver, who suffered minor injuries, was taken to Wollongong Hospital where he allegedly admitted to smoking cannabis about two hours before the crash.
He was charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, driving while disqualified and using an unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
Solicitor Ray Clack told the court his client had driven in order to remove his stepsister from her boyfriend’s house as he was ‘‘causing trouble’’ and had just been trying to do the right thing.
He acknowledged the circumstances were tragic but said the teen had simply lost control of the vehicle and didn’t believe he was speeding. His client had a stable address, could provide a surety and would report to police.
Registrar Cally D’Arcy refused bail and adjourned the matter to Monday.
*Previous reports that the female passenger was the driver's step-sister were incorrect.
