Blow for doctor charged over fatal crash
A doctor who allegedly killed a young woman and seriously injured her Uber driver is facing fresh charges following the fatal crash.
Perth obstetrician Rhys Bellinge, 45, allegedly drove his Jaguar at high speed while he was almost four times over the blood alcohol limit before crashing into an Uber on Birdwood Parade in Dalkeith on February 15.
Elizabeth Pearce, 24, was killed and Mohammad Usman, 25, was badly injured in the crash. Perth doctor Rhys Bellinge was allegedly behind the wheel of a Jaguar that crashed into a Honda Jazz on Birdwood Parade in Dalkeith killing 25-year old woman Elizabeth Pearce and seriously injuring her 25-year old Uber Mohammad Usman on February 15. ABC News Credit: ABC
Police allege Bellinge was speeding at 130km/h with a blood-alcohol level of 0.183.
Bellinge was denied bail at a bedside hearing charged with manslaughter, dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and speeding.
Major Crash Investigation officers have now hit the 45-year-old with fresh charges over allegations he drove at speed through Perth's western suburbs six days before the fatal crash.
It is alleged Bellinge travelled 45km per hour over the speed limit three timesin Subiaco, Nedlands and Dalkeith, as well as drove on the wrong side of the road in Kings Park between 8pm and 8.30pm on February 9.
He will face three counts of reckless driving and one count of dangerous driving in the Perth Magistrates Court on June 5.
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Injustice ignored
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‘Excuse me. I've killed my wife': The ongoing menace of forced marriage in Australia
It's hard at first to make sense of the video. Filmed on a phone, it opens on a car clock: 12.56pm. In Arabic, the man filming says this video is evidence, though ultimately he doesn't need evidence because 'it's my life and I have my authority, whatever I do'. By now, he says, his wife should be awake and preparing food. Still filming, he gets out of the car and goes inside his Perth unit. He captures some dirty pots on the stove. 'No food, either,' he complains. Then he films his wife, lying on the bed, asleep. The man taking this video, on January 17, 2020, is Mohammad Ali Halimi, then 25. Halimi, an Afghani refugee, is working as an Uber driver and Halal-method chicken slaughterer. His sleeping wife is another Afghani refugee, Ruqia Haidari, 21, who had lived for six years in the Victorian regional hub of Shepparton, two hours north of Melbourne. Eight months before this video was taken, Haidari was excited about finishing year 12 and had plans to go to university. 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It's going to deter victim-survivors from seeking support for fear of their mother or family members being prosecuted.' Bottriell, whose organisation is one of the services victim-survivors can now use as an alternative to the AFP, says she feels authorities overly target the Muslim community on this issue and fail to consider other religions and communities. She says forced marriage is not religiously sanctioned by Islam. 'It's about power and control over women's decision-making.' Ben Moses, the AFP's acting commander for human exploitation, declined to directly respond to Bottriell's criticism. He says the AFP's focus isn't purely on prosecution, but also prevention through community education and giving victims choice. 'As we know, not everyone wants to engage in the criminal justice process and we acknowledge that.' Constable Taylah Potter, a Melbourne-based forced-marriage investigator, says in the past six months she's noticed a positive attitude shift, with more young people feeling empowered to discuss the issue with figures of authority. When I ask how she feels about her job, she says it's easy to get caught up in statistics and court outcomes, but then she'll help a 16-year-old at risk of forced marriage and 'it just completely changes the path of their life.' The joy of freedom Miriam serves me chocolate-covered pretzels, mini samosas and chai. She's wearing black pants, a smart, black short-sleeved top and lipstick. Her neat, one-bedroom rented unit is small, but it's hers. 'I never knew this concept, I don't know how to explain, just having basics, like having utensils, pots. And then when you move to a house, the bin schedule! Oh, my god, I hate that schedule. And cleaning. Proper cleaning, but with love.' Freedom for Miriam and Khadija is about choice. This rug, not that rug. Take this course, not that one. Go outside. Freedom. That's the upside of escaping forced marriage. The downside? It's that gaping hole left where a family once was. Miriam misses her beloved brother. Stealthily, she tracks him on social media. 'I'm trying to see if he would give any indication he wants me back in his life. If that's the case, I would take him in my arms.' Loading For Khadija, it's her sister, still overseas. Khadija is hopeful she'll not join the estimated 22 million people stuck in forced marriages globally. Recently, Khadija's been thinking about a moment before she left. Her father had brought two peaches. 'I think one of his love languages was definitely fruit,' she laughs. Khadija told him the peach was so sweet. The next day he brought a whole tray and said she could have as many as she liked. 'I just can't forget that. I'm like, 'How can you be such a good person and such a shitty person at the same time?' ' Meanwhile, Miriam is studying healthcare. She's got her flat, her licence, a job and a car. One day, she may even marry. 'I thought men were just heartless, cold, like, not giving any rights to women. Now that I'm outside I'm seeing my friends in their relationships, and it's different. It's caring, it's loving.' I ask about her big dreams for the future. She looks momentarily confused. 'This is what I was dreaming about. I'm there, right now.'
