Driver who killed pedestrian in hit and run and tried to cover it up sentenced to jail
In the District Court in Brisbane on Friday, Joshua Alexander Scott, who torched his car in an attempt to hide evidence of the hit and run, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death as well as arson of a motor vehicle.
During a sentencing hearing, the court heard the then 35-year-old had been driving to work just after 5am in Chermside when he ran a red light in March 2024.
The court heard Ian Victor Colwell, 72, had been on his regular morning walk when he was struck by Scott as he crossed that intersection.
After briefly stopping his car and making eye contact with a witness, Scott then sped away, leaving Mr Colwell face down on the road with significant injuries including a bleeding and cracked skull.
Bystanders called triple-zero, and Mr Colwell was rushed to hospital, but he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in the ambulance.
In the meantime, the court heard Scott drove to a friend's house, and told them what he had done, before changing his clothes.
He then called his partner and told her to wipe CCTV footage of him leaving their home in the car that morning, and to delete messages between them.
Scott then drove to Wavell Heights where he poured accelerant through the car and set it alight, before heading to work.
Crown prosecutor Cameron Wilkins told the court Scott had concocted a story that the car had been stolen and tried to set up an alibi with his boss, in a bid to avoid detection.
Mr Wilkins told the court Scott was arrested at his workplace later that morning and initially lied to police, but later confessed, telling them he was "daydreaming" when he hit Mr Colwell.
"His conscience got the best of him," he said.
The court heard Scott had a lengthy criminal history and had been on a suspended sentence for drug-related charges at the time of the collision.
He also had dozens of convictions for driving offences, including 29 for speeding and multiple for drunk and drug-affected driving.
"The defendant's traffic history is deplorable," Mr Wilkins said.
Reading a victim impact statement on behalf of their family, Mr Colwell's nephew Damian Colwell told the court the "sudden and senseless and violent" death had left them "broken".
"Not just the fact he died … but the way his life was cruelly and needlessly taken from us," he said.
"Our family gatherings will forever feel incomplete."
Mr Colwell said they struggled to comprehend how "such indifference" to human life could exist in the community.
"He was struck down without care or compassion and left alone in his final moments," he said.
He described Mr Colwell as an "active and generous member of his community".
"His leadership and care cannot easily be replaced," he said.
The court heard Scott had provided a letter of apology and his parents, who were there to support him, also submitted a letter of reference for their son.
When determining his sentence Judge John Allen KC acknowledged the family's heartbreak and accepted the offending had caused "enormous loss and harm".
Scott was handed a head sentence of five years and, with time already served, will be eligible to apply for parole in November.
He was also disqualified from driving.
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