Man pleads guilty over culpable driving hit and run that killed motorcyclist at Yarck

A man facing trial over a fatal motorcyclist hit and run crash in northern Victoria last year has opted instead to plead guilty to the charges.

David Graham Berry, 43, of Seymour, was driving a stolen utility when he crashed into a motorcyclist on the Maroondah Highway in Yarck in May 2024.

The motorcyclist, a 56-year-old man from Alexandra, died at the scene.

In the County Court at Shepparton today, Berry pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, failing to stop after an accident and driving unlicenced.

He had stolen the utility he was driving from a hotel in Euroa earlier in the day.

He had initially pleaded not guilty in February and was set to go to trial. 

Berry’s lawyer, Kestin Mildenhall, told the court the defence was waiting on a number of expert reports before the case returned to court for sentencing.

Berry was remanded in custody for a pre-sentence hearing in April next year.