A Farmborough Heights man charged over a fatal hit-and-run in Sydney has been refused court bail for the second time.
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Scott Hoskins, 21, will remain behind bars until at least next month after Magistrate Peter Thompson refused to release him from custody on Monday morning.
Hoskins, along with his mother, Debbra Aldridge and housemate Ashley Killorn, was arrested on Friday morning after police allegedly linked the trio to Thursday’s fatal crash through their Kia Rio.
Police will allege Hoskins, a plumber with a suspended driver’s licence, and his housemate Ashley Killorn, a tiler, were heading to a job site in the Bondi area when their vehicle collided with 20-year-old Waterloo woman Yan Hao a short distance from her apartment about 2.15pm.
Ms Hao was crossing Lachlan Street when she stepped into the car’s path. She was thrown from the eastbound to westbound lane. She later died at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Police used CCTV footage to identify the car. They found it had been rented from a hire car company several days earlier by Hoskins’ girlfriend, then tracked it to Aldridge’s Dapto driveway.
I was just trying to protect him. He’s a good kid.
It is alleged a devastated Aldridge attempted to take the blame for the collision, telling police “I need to speak to you. I was in Sydney yesterday and I hit a girl.”
In a recorded interview she repeatedly said, “what have I done?” and “I’ve killed somebody”, becoming emotional and asking that the interview be stopped.
However, she allegedly admitted her lie when police, who had witness accounts and CCTV vision suggesting two males were inside the car, said they believed her son was the driver.
“I was just trying to protect him. He’s a good kid,” she allegedly replied.
Hoskins handed himself in at Wollongong Police Station that morning.
In his interview with police, Hoskins allegedly said he pulled the car up alongside the motionless Ms Hao, looked out his window and immediately knew she was dead.
He told police he drove off as he knew his license was suspended and he wanted to get home to family. He said Ms Hao had run out in front of him and he had been unable to stop.
Hoskins was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death and fail to stop and assist after impact.
Aldridge was charged with hindering police, knowingly making a false statement and acting with intent to pervert the course of justice.
Meantime, police also charged Killorn with concealing an indictable offence.
All three fronted Wollongong Bail Court on Saturday, with Aldridge the only one given bail at the time.
On Monday, Killorn was also strict conditional granted bail, however Hoskins’ application was refused.
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