Witness Tells Of Seeing Killing

Newcastle Herald

Thursday January 18, 2007

By GABRIEL WINGATE-PEARSE

SMOKE was coming from the rear wheels of a 4WD Nissan Patrol and it was revving hard moments before the driver ploughed into and killed 27-year-old Darren McWhinney, it was alleged yesterday.

Witness Grant McDonald told police he thought it was a deliberate act, saying the driver swerved at him first before changing directions to jump the gutter and strike Mr McWhinney.

Mr McDonald's statement was in a brief of evidence tendered in Newcastle Local Court yesterday against Reubin Gary Young, 22, who is accused of murder.

Young, an apprentice electrician of Morris Street, Eleebana, is also accused of failing to stop after a fatal car accident, and driving with a high-range PCA.

He has not been required to enter pleas.

The evidence includes statements from friends of the deceased, who lived in Quakers Hill, Sydney, and the accused who had both been drinking and listening to live bands at the Cambridge Hotel on the night of March 16.

Mr McDonald said there was some kind of verbal altercation at the hotel predominantly between Mr McWhinney and Young, but he was unsure what triggered it.

Other witnesses, friends and acquaintances of Young's, said Mr McWhinney started the altercation in the pub by being "sleazy" towards one of the women in the group and after Young stood up for her.

A bar manager said he had Mr McWhinney escorted from the hotel after he saw him "hassling a group of heavy metal chicks", and that he had to be half picked up, half dragged outside.

The altercation later continued outside the hotel after closing time, Mr McDonald said.

"There was a bit of push and shove but no real harm done, certainly no punches landed," Mr McDonald said.

Soon after, Young climbed into the Nissan and Mr McDonald tried to get his registration details to report him to the police for drink-driving, he said.

"I was walking towards him when he started the engine," he said.

He said after striking Mr McWhinney, the accused still had the engine running and tried to reverse out.

"I saw this person getting further injured by the vehicle reversing out over him," he said.

Magistrate Michael Morahan committed Young for trial in the Sydney Supreme Court.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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