An Albion Park man has confessed to purposefully running his vehicle into a car being driven by his arch enemy, leaving the other man’s sister with permanent injuries.
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Benjamin Elphick, 25, had been in a feud with the man for some time, however the court heard their warring had escalated just prior to the incident on May 5 last year.
Police documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court said the victim was driving a Holden Commodore along Terry Street at Albion Park with her brother in the passenger seat when the pair noticed Elphick driving a Hyundai Elantra in the opposite direction.
At the time Elphick and a passenger in the vehicle were making hand gestures and pointing at the victim.
As they got closer, Elphick deliberately steered his car across the centre line and straight into the path of the Commodore, causing the vehicles to collide.
He then accelerated the badly damaged Hyundai away and continued to drive along Terry Street until the vehicle came to a rest in a gutter.
Elphick and his passenger jumped out of the car and ran from the scene without returning to check on the welfare of the victim and her brother.
The injured woman was taken to hospital for treatment on a broken ankle. She was immobilised for six weeks after the crash and almost a year later still has to use crutches to move around.
Police went to Elphick’s home in Mayfield Circuit the day after the collision, however he tried to run when he saw them enter the property.
He was tackled to the ground and restrained before being taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station and charged.
In court on Wednesday Elphick pleaded guilty to charges of furious driving causing bodily harm and failing to stop after a crash.
He was remanded in custody to face sentencing later this month.
There has been ongoing animosity between [the victim's sister] and Elphick which had been escalating leading up to the incident
- Police fact sheet in the matter of Benjamin Elphick