By Simone Fox Koob
The truck driver who killed four police officers on the Eastern Freeway says hours before the crash he told his boss he was tired and had been cursed by a witch, prompting his manager to “pray in Jesus’ name to take the curse away”.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday heard for the first time convicted killer Mohinder Singh’s description of the days prior to the fatal crash on April 22 last year, as he gave evidence against his former boss, Simiona Tuteru.
Trucking company manager Simiona Tuteru, who has been charged in connection to the Eastern Freeway crash, walks into court in early May.Credit:Simon Schluter
Mr Tuteru, the 50-year-old supervisor at trucking company Connect Logistics, is facing a committal hearing over allegations he knew or ought to have known Singh was fatigued and not in a proper state to drive on the day. He is fighting the charges.
The most serious allegations are four counts of manslaughter over the deaths of four police officers – Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney – who were killed when they were hit by a prime mover driven by Singh.
The officers’ families were present in court on Wednesday as Singh, jailed in April for a maximum 22 years after pleading guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing death, gave evidence.
Dressed in a prison-issued grey tracksuit, Singh told the court he spoke to Mr Tuteru on the afternoon of April 22 last year. He told his boss he was seeing things and had been cursed by a witch, he said, which prompted Mr Tuteru to start praying.
Mohinder Singh gave evidence against his former boss on Wednesday. Credit:Nine News
“It was basically a prayer, he put his hand on top of my head and prayed in Jesus’ name, take the curse away of the witch,” Singh said. “[I told him] I am too tired to drive and haven’t slept for while.”
But Mr Tuteru’s lawyer, David Hallowes, put it to Singh that he had never raised any issues about his fitness to drive with his boss, which the killer truckie denied.
In Singh’s police statement tendered to the court, he claimed Mr Tuteru accompanied him to his car after he confided in his boss.
“Simon told me that sometimes witches leave behind voodoo dolls or hair or something.
“We were looking for something that wasn’t mine. While we were doing this Simon talked to me about witches and curses and how they worked.
“After we did the search and didn’t find anything he placed his hand on my head and prayed – I don’t remember the exact words of the prayer but I do remember at the end of it he said ‘In Jesus name I cast the spell out of you’.
“I also remember while we were searching the car he said that he had experiences with witches in Africa and this is where he learnt how witches work. After he prayed on me he then said – OK you are right to go now – I just need you to do the load to Thomastown and then you can come back – see how you are feeling and go home.”
Singh says he agreed to drive because he didn’t want to be fired.
Mohinder Singh leaves the Supreme Court during his trial in March. He was jailed for 22 years.Credit:Jason South
“I then drove my truck towards Thomastown, I felt shit when I was driving - I felt really tired - I felt like sleeping,” he said. “The collision then occurred and I don’t want to talk about it in detail as it’s horrible and I wish it never happened.”
After the crash, Singh says he was standing in the freeway emergency lane and called Mr Tuteru and told him he had “killed some police officers”.
“He replied something like, ‘Don’t say nothing to no one’,” Singh said. “He didn’t ask me anything about the incident, I just remember saying to him that I fell asleep.”
The statement also details how on the day of the crash he told his kids he was “seeing stick figures that were coming out of the cracks and walls and attacking me”.
Singh told the court he had been seeing ghosts and other supernatural phenomena, including “visions of parallel universes” for many years.
Andrew and Belinda Prestney, the parents of Josh Prestney who was killed in the Eastern Freeway collision, were at court on Wednesday. Credit:Nine News
Singh remained subdued while he gave evidence on Wednesday, often responding to questions with: “I can’t remember”.
He said he had a deteriorating memory problem for several years.
After he finished giving evidence, Mr Hallowes said Singh had been vague and there were inconsistencies between the man’s statement and what he said in court. He urged the magistrate to consider his credibility and reliability.
But prosecutor Robyn Harper said Singh had remained adamant on one point.
“There were inconsistencies, that’s conceded, but he was adamant that at the car, he told the accused man that he was tired and that he was not fit to drive,” she said. “He could not be swayed. There were a number of things he could be swayed on and that wasn’t one of them.”
The husband of Lynette Taylor, Stuart Schulze, told Nine News after the court hearing: “I had to be satisfied myself that I heard him actually say it, say what he did that day. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“We all have a stake in it, we’re all here to see it through.”
The case continues before magistrate Luisa Bazzani, who will make a decision on Thursday about whether there is enough evidence to commit Mr Tuteru to trial.
With Tammy Mills
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
Simone is a crime reporter for The Age. Most recently she covered breaking news for The Age, and before that for The Australian in Melbourne.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMipQFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L25hdGlvbmFsL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3ByYXktaW4tamVzdXMtbmFtZS1raWxsZXItdHJ1Y2tpZS10b2xkLWJvc3MtaGUtd2FzLXRvby10aXJlZC10by1kcml2ZS1hbmQtc2VlaW5nLXdpdGNoZXMtY291cnQtaGVhcnMtMjAyMTA3MTMtcDU4OWZwLmh0bWzSAaUBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS9wcmF5LWluLWplc3VzLW5hbWUta2lsbGVyLXRydWNraWUtdG9sZC1ib3NzLWhlLXdhcy10b28tdGlyZWQtdG8tZHJpdmUtYW5kLXNlZWluZy13aXRjaGVzLWNvdXJ0LWhlYXJzLTIwMjEwNzEzLXA1ODlmcC5odG1s?oc=5
2021-07-14 04:30:38Z
52781731547755
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "‘Prayed in Jesus’ name’: Killer truckie told boss he was too tired to drive and seeing witches, court told - The Age"
Post a Comment