By AAP
A Lilydale born and raised ice affected driver whose licence had expired nearly a decade earlier also had alcohol in his system when he smashed through a red light and hit a car at 159km/h before careening into a second vehicle.
Matthew Dyer’s silver Saab was still doing 113km/h when he struck the second vehicle at a suburban intersection at Ferntree Gully in Melbourne’s outer east.
Paramedics who were already waiting at the red light on 27 August last year tried desperately to save the life of Dyer’s passenger but Nicole Wollard died at the scene.
Police were also quick to arrive. Just seconds earlier officers had ended their pursuit of Dyer, concerned about his efforts to evade them.
They had first detected the now 45-year-old on a radar device doing 94km/h in a 60km/h zone.
The officer behind the wheel noticed his speed creep up to 110-115km/h in pursuit after performing a U-turn to follow and try to pull over Dyer.
Police stopped the pursuit just short of the intersection where the crash occurred, and could only watch as Dyer collided at high speed with the two vehicles.
Dyer, who was on bail at the time, was jailed for 10 years and three months on Thursday 23 November by County Court Judge Trevor Wraight.
That sentence exceeds what is standard for the culpable driving charge and others he pleaded guilty to.
He’ll have to serve at least seven-and-a-half years before he is eligible for parole.
The death of Ms Wollard, 39, had devastating consequences for her family, coming just short of a decade after one of her two brothers died.
Her surviving brother has struggled to adapt to life as an only child, while Ms Wollard’s daughter described the loss of her best friend and role model as soul-crushing at the “realisation her life was never going to be the same”.
Dyer had behaved in an entirely selfish way, Judge Wraight said, noting he had absolutely no regard for the safety of other road users or his passenger – a woman who he had referred to as a friend.
The father of a five-year-old daughter has a history of drug and driving offences dating back to 1996, and was affected by a high level of methamphetamine and a low level of alcohol at the time of the crash, which experts said contributed to his risk-taking behaviour and made him incapable of proper control.
Growing up in Lilydale with an abusive father, Judge Wraight said psychologist assessments attributed his childhood trauma to some of his addictions and personality disorder.
Judge Wraight noted Dyer had been dismissed from three or four positions for drinking on the job.
But since being remanded in prison he has worked and engaged in courses.
He also has the support of a long-term partner, though the court heard she is unable to visit him in prison and suffers from a rare blood cancer which has left her with a life expectancy of seven years.
“Clearly at this stage you need significant treatment, support and supervision to address issues that led to your offending,” he said.
Dyer was also banned from driving for eight years and will have to pay a $1000 fine for driving an unregistered vehicle and using fraudulent number plates.
