‘Stupidity’: Bobcat killer cries in court

A roadworthy idiosyncratic who killed a mate portion “showing off” successful a bobcat is facing up to 25 years successful jailhouse aft admitting responsibility, a tribunal has been told.

Christopher Bell, 53, had been drinking beers with co-workers connected a Wednesday day aft his displacement erstwhile helium jumped down the instrumentality of a institution bobcat and began driving around.

CCTV from a neighbouring concern captured Bell driving successful circles astir the workyard, spreading ungraded and accelerating towards and distant from the group.

Within 20 minutes, helium accidentally ran implicit and crushed George Tevera, 34, who appeared injured but conscious erstwhile paramedics arrived.

“Idiot got into the bobcat and ran implicit my friend, his calf has been divided open,” 1 of the different men contiguous told triple-0.

Just 2 hours aboriginal Mr Tevera died successful infirmary aft going into cardiac arrest, with an autopsy attributing his decease to abdominal and pelvic injuries.

Bell appeared successful the Victorian Supreme Court connected Wednesday for a pre-sentence proceeding aft pleading blameworthy to a complaint of manslaughter by transgression negligence.

Crown authoritative Erin Ramsey told the tribunal that she did not allege Bell had intended to tally Mr Tevera over, but his determination to thrust drunk and his erratic behaviour amounted to negligence.

“The prosecution lawsuit is enactment connected the ground that Mr Bell owed a work of attraction to his colleagues erstwhile operating the bobcat,” she said.

Ms Ramsey said Bell had been successful tribunal conscionable 2½ months earlier for drink-driving and had a humor intoxicant attraction doubly the ineligible bounds aft consuming astir 5 Coronas.

The footage, she said, revealed Bell was “showing off” to his friends and driving successful a “hoon-like” mode earlier sidesplitting Mr Tevera.

Bell wiped distant tears and appeared affectional arsenic Mr Tevera’s mother, Pauline, and partner, Larisa, work unfortunate interaction statements to the court.

His parent said her beingness changed everlastingly erstwhile receiving the quality connected September 7, 2022, with her heartbreak “never ending”.

“I person a batch of choler and vexation astir the senselessness of it all,” she said.

“I can’t halt reasoning astir what happened and however helium indispensable person suffered … There volition ever beryllium an emptiness wrong of me.”

Mr Tevera’s spouse said the father-of-three’s decease had taken distant her family’s aboriginal “in the astir horrific way”.

“I look astatine my aboriginal and spot loneliness,” she said.

“We met astatine 16 years old, I person been with him for implicit fractional my beingness … He was the beingness and psyche of our family, there’s nary beingness without him.”

Bell’s barrister, Winnie Wong, said her lawsuit considered Mr Tevera to beryllium a bully person and had taken work for the “utter tragedy” astatine the earliest opportunity.

“He is wholly devastated and traumatised by what happened to the constituent helium cannot spot himself driving a conveyance again,” she said.

Ms Wong argued that the lawsuit was 1 of “stupidity” and told the tribunal that her lawsuit had suffered nightmares successful situation regular since the incident.

She said Bell had turned to intoxicant arsenic a coping mechanics aft experiencing trauma successful his puerility and was diagnosed with PTSD and ADHD.

Justice Christopher Beale reserved his condemnation and volition manus it down connected a aboriginal date.