Bombshell admission from high profile doctor who killed a young Uber passenger while drunk behind the wheel of his luxury Jaguar
Perth obstetrician Rhys Henry Stone Bellinge, 45, on Wednesday admitted the manslaughter of Elizabeth Pearce on February 15.
The 24-year-old was an Uber passenger in a Honda Jazz hatchback struck by Bellinge's blue Jaguar sedan in Perth's leafy riverside suburb of Dalkeith.
The father of two also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol over the injuries to Muhammad Usman.
The 25-year-old Uber driver suffered two broken legs and arm injuries in the collision.
Bellinge, who has reportedly struggled in custody while on remand, appeared via video link from Casuarina maximum-security prison.
Wearing a prison-issued green tracksuit, Bellinge was sullen as he confirmed he understood the charges before entering a guilty plea to each charge in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court.
A charge of driving under the influence of alcohol was discontinued by the court at the prosecution's request.
The Uber was struck by Bellinge's blue Jaguar sedan in the leafy riverside suburb of Dalkeith in February. Pictured is the crash scene
Bellinge's wealthy father, Bruce Bellinge, was in the court to hear his son's pleas.
The court was previously told Bellinge had been drinking while watching football on television at his father's home before he climbed into his high-powered car and attempted to drive home about 10pm.
Dashcam footage showed Bellinge's car reached a speed of about 130km/h before the driver lost control, crossed to the wrong side of the road, and collided with the Honda.
Ms Pearce later died in hospital from her injuries.
Bellinge allegedly had a blood alcohol reading of 0.183 and was recorded apologising after the crash at the scene.
He suffered spinal injuries in the incident and had been experiencing 'mental upset' following his recent marriage breakdown.
Other dashcam footage previously played to the court showed Bellinge driving at speeds above 100km/h in a 40km zone days before the crash that killed Ms Pearce.
Bellinge also allegedly recorded yelling vitriolic profanities about his estranged wife on the night of the crash and in another recording.
He was denied bail during a hospital bed court hearing in the weeks after Ms Pearce was killed and could be heard crying and sobbing over an audio link.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
South Africa spinner Subrayen cited for suspect bowling action
MELBOURNE, Aug 21 (Reuters) - South Africa spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a suspect bowling action in the first ODI against Australia, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said. The ICC said match officials reported concerns about the legality of the off-spinner's action during his ODI debut in Cairns on Tuesday where he took 1-46 in the Proteas' 98-run win. Subrayen must undergo an independent assessment of his action at an ICC-accredited testing facility within 14 days. He can continue bowling until the results of his test are known. Bowlers are permitted 15 degrees of elbow extension while delivering the ball. Reuters contacted Cricket South Africa for comment. The 31-year-old Subrayen has a record of bowling illegally in domestic and T20 cricket. He was suspended from bowling in domestic cricket in late-2015 after failing an assessment but was cleared to resume after another test a few months later. He was also suspended in late-2012 over his action but cleared to bowl again in early-2013 after remedial work. Subrayen made his test cricket debut last month against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, picking up four first-innings wickets.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Woman assisting police after infant found dead in Perth storm water drain
A woman is assisting police after a baby boy was found dead inside a storm water drain. Two workers carrying out routine maintenance made the confronting discovery in Alexander Heights in Perth's northern suburbs on Monday afternoon. Western Australia police confirmed a woman in her 30s is assisting with their investigation into the newborn's death. 'The woman is receiving appropriate care and support,' police said in a statement on Wednesday evening. 'Given the sensitivities, we will be making no further comment at this time. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'The Western Australia Police Force would like to thank the community for their concern, support and assistance.' Police had earlier confirmed the infant had been placed in the storm water drain in recent days. There was no evidence the baby had been washed through the drain system, Det Sen Sgt Stephen Cleal told reporters on Tuesday. Detectives had made a plea for the baby's mother to come forward amid concerns for her health. Police also urged people with information about the incident or CCTV recorded in the area to come forward. The WA premier, Roger Cook, had called it a 'horrifying series of events' that had rocked the community, with flowers and teddy bears being left at the drain site. 'This goes to the heart of everyone's sense of humanity, a small child whose life has passed under tragic circumstances,' he said.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Australian mum's heartbreaking plea to government after being forced to live in her car with her daughter
A single mother who's been forced to move into her car with her 12-year-old daughter and pets has called on the government to put its own citizens first. Port Macquarie woman Christine Cameron never imagined she would become homeless. But in June, after being forced out of her rental and losing her dog-sitting business, her life quickly fell apart. With nowhere to go, the pair parked their Nissan X-Trail beside a local park and tried to make the best of it. While living in her car, Ms Cameron discovered a video of a Labor politician in Victoria arranging emergency housing for an immigrant. 'That moved me,' she said, adding: 'I just thought: "What about me, I've lived here all my life and I can't get that". 'Why don't we help our own backyard first?' While living in the car, Ms Cameron worried constantly about police knocking on the window or strangers approaching. 'I started worrying about a cop shining a light in the window, tapping, and saying, "you can't be here" and that I'd get a fine or something.' 'I started thinking maybe I'm not in a good spot, but thought if something did happen and someone with bad intentions came up and started hassling me, then someone would see me, being in a well-lit area.' The hardest part wasn't just the fear of strangers, it was keeping life as normal as possible for her daughter Grace. 'It was very difficult,' Ms Cameron said. 'Grace and I would go to the RSL to use the free Wi-Fi, and we would do her assignments and things there.' The physical toll of living in the car was impossible to ignore, and she desperately tried to get into housing. 'I ended up with really sore, achy hips that would even wake me up in the middle of the night, and I'd roll over and realise: "Oh, yeah, that's right, that hip is sore too".' The reality of her new homeless life hit hard when Christine applied for social housing and was told the wait could be up to ten years, and that there was 'absolutely no' vacant emergency housing. With a cat and a bird in tow, the single mum found herself turned away by every landlord, despite her long history in private rentals. While homeless, the pair have learned to ration every meal, splitting their lunch so there's something left for dinner, relying on free food from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's free food service, Community Connect Wauchope Soupervan. After sleeping rough in the park, they scraped together to move into a caravan park, their home for three weeks, before Adventist volunteers Helen and Troy Eggleton stepped in to help find them temporary shelter. Now, she lives in a friend's garage. Despite everything, Ms Cameron's eyes are fixed on the future and she hopes to continue building her pet grooming business and one day plans to grow a garden. 'That's what I'm really looking forward to, is getting back to gardening. Planting a tree in the ground and knowing it's mine. 'I did that when I was pregnant with Grace, planted all these fruit trees and garden beds and we would eat the fruit off the trees - mulberries, cherries and cucumbers. 'I remember her walking around as a little kid, just putting the cucumbers in her mouth and eating the stem, that's how kids should grow up. 'I would really, really like to do that again, plant a tree, look after it, and in a couple of years, start eating the fruit with my daughter again.' Ms Eggleton said the single mother's story is far from unique, adding more and more Australians were falling through the cracks in the rental market. 'Our patrons consist of those who are homeless in every sense of the word through to those who are simply lonely,' she told the Daily Mail. 'Most of the homeless we see are invisible to the general public. They take pride in their appearance, they often work and live in their cars or tents. 'They have capacity to pay rent but often fall through the loopholes of the rental market for various reasons - their names have not been on rental agreements but their ex-partners have been, for example.' 'There will always be the stereotypical "homeless" of those suffering from mental health issues and drug and alcohol problems but they are now the minority we see. 'Anyone of us could find ourselves homeless from a variety of circumstances whether it be illness, domestic violence or family breakdown, change in employment, owners moving back into their home or increasing the rent so it's no longer affordable or selling their rental property.' Recent data by Homelessness Australia reveals the number of people accessing their services each month has grown by 10 per cent since the Albanese government came into power in May 2022. The situation is even more dire for women and girls, with an increase of 14 per cent. While women and children go without a roof over their heads, immigration is booming, which experts say is putting unprecedented strain on the local property market. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show in the year to May, 1.1 million permanent and long-term arrivals hit Australian shores, including international students and skilled workers. In cities soaking up the bulk of the arrivals like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and increasingly Brisbane, the competition for rentals is fierce, sending rents and house prices soaring. Australian Population Research Institute president Bob Birrell blamed the housing crisis on record overseas migration, which meant working Australians were being pushed out of the market, unable to buy or rent. 'The Albanese government is completely irresponsible on this issue,' he said. 'They have neglected it ever since they got back into power in 2022, they've just let immigration rip. 'We've had enormous levels of migrants, which is just unprecedented, and irresponsible in the context of the housing crisis.' Dr Birrell said part of the problem is the skilled migration program recruits hardly any tradespeople, especially for the beleaguered building industry. 'Migration is not adding to the supply of those important trades at all,' he said. 'Although a lot of temporary migrants who are adrift in Melbourne and Sydney would probably like to take up an apprenticeship in these areas, they can't, because they're temporaries.' Freelancer CEO Matt Barrie said the Albanese government had created a system so perverse doctors were living in share houses and nurses were sleeping in their cars. 'The Great Australian Dream is now mathematically impossible for the average Australian,' he said. 'In Sydney it now takes 46 years just to save a house deposit. Think about that, for a child born in Sydney today, their retirement party will come before they've saved enough for a house deposit.' Mr Barrie said the housing crisis had been 'engineered' by the government which has flooded the country with the largest immigration wave in history. 'Why, in a cost of living crisis, would they allow nearly one million international student enrolments? 'Why, in a cost of living crisis, would they allow 2.46 million people on temporary visas into a country of 27 million when there's only 36,000 rental vacancies?' Everybody's Home spokeswoman Maiy Azize said the Albanese government has a chance to deliver a lasting legacy on housing or risk being remembered for letting it slip away. She issued a written warning to Treasurer Jim Chalmers that the Albanese government could not meet its commitment of supplying 1.2 million homes by 2029. 'This is a national crisis that is now pricing out everyday people right across the country,' she said. 'The government can't ignore the increasing number of Australians who are sleeping on streets and couches, forgoing food and medicine to pay rent, and living in unsafe and makeshift housing.'
