A Perth obstetrician who killed a 24-year-old woman after smashing his high performance luxury car into the small hatchback she was a passenger in has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail.
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing, including explicit language.
Supreme Court Judge Amanda Forrester said Rhys Bellinge showed “aggression, contempt and a selfish disregard for other road users” in driving his Jaguar through the streets of suburban Dalkeith on February 15 last year at speeds of up to 134 kilometres per hour while drunk.
Bellinge’s Jaguar ploughed into a Honda Jazz in which 24-year-old Elizabeth Pearce was a passenger, killing her and seriously injuring rideshare driver Muhammad Usman.
“By your highly dangerous and reckless behaviour you stole Elizabeth Pearce’s life,” Justice Forrester said, adding that Bellinge used his car “as a powerful weapon”.
Earlier on Tuesday, disturbing dash cam footage of the drunk doctor hurling expletives as he tore through Perth’s western suburbs in the minutes before the fatal impact were played in court.
Elizabeth Pearce died after the rideshare vehicle she was in was hit by Bellinge’s Jaguar. (Supplied)
Bellinge’s car was like an “unguided missile” that was inevitably going to cause death or serious injury, prosecutor Justin Whalley told the Supreme Court.
The 46-year-old was sentenced for the manslaughter of Ms Pearce, while Mr Usman sustained serious injuries in the crash.
Bellinge pleaded guilty to both manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol.
Addressing Bellinge, Justice Forrester said she was “not convinced you have accepted full responsibility for what you have done or acknowledged the harm you caused to others”, noting a “degree of self-pity” in letters he wrote to Ms Pearce’s family and to Mr Usman after the fatal crash.
Tape played to court
In the footage shown in court, taken from Bellinge’s Jaguar, he can be heard using crude language to refer to his estranged partner, and abusing other drivers on the road.
Justice Forrester issued a warning about the confronting nature of the vision, taken in the minutes leading up to the crash, before it was shown.
Loading…
Some who were in the public gallery left the court room, as Bellinge, sitting in the dock in collared white shirt and dark jacket, looked down.
In the footage, Bellinge was seen sitting in his vehicle outside the family home on The Avenue in Nedlands and could be heard repeatedly saying “I hate you” in increasingly aggressive tones.
The court heard he had driven there from nearby Jutland Parade in Dalkeith, where he had been staying with his father, obstetrician and businessman Bruce Bellinge.
His expletive-filled rants included apparent references to his wife: “It’s my house. You’re robbing me. Take from me, you don’t give. You are nothing to me.”
The aftermath of the crash that killed Ms Pearce (ABC News)
Bellinge drove off from the family home at speed, yelling and swearing at other drivers,appearing to narrowly miss some vehicles.
As his Jaguar, which the court heard had a three litre supercharged V6 petrol engine, gathered more speed, Bellinge could be heard saying “f**k you” over and over.
A car could be seen pulling to one side as his Jaguar surged forward and he said “f**k that b***h”.
The sound of a collision was then heard before the vision went dark.
The court was shown dashcam footage from Dr Bellinge’s car that showed the moment of the crash occurred. (Supplied: District Court of WA)
Bellinge could be heard saying “Oh God what a f**kwit” and “I’m so sorry”, and breathing deeply.
In the dock, Bellinge wept, while some in the public gallery were also in tears.
Blood alcohol reading
Prosecutor Justin Whalley said Bellinge’s blood sample alcohol reading was 0.22 per cent while his earlier roadside reading was 0.18 per cent.
Doctor admits to reckless driving days before fatal crash
He had admitted to drinking at the football earlier that day but the court was told he must have had more alcohol later.
Bellinge had also been driving dangerously days before the fatal crash.
On February 9 the doctor was speeding through the slow-speed, tree-lined internal road network of Kings Park, and driving on the wrong side of the street, causing three oncoming drivers to slow down.
The court heard he was doing 112 kph on Stirling Highway, where the limit was 60 kph, and was speeding again after that.
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in Kings Park and reckless driving in Subiaco.
Mr Whalley said it could not be proven that Bellinge was drinking on that day.
Bellinge ‘suffered mental crisis’
Bellinge’s lawyer David Grace said the “horrendous” fatal incident had caused “indescribable pain” and an “immense amount of grief” and his client accepted he was solely responsible.
Mr Grace said Bellinge would “carry for the rest of his life the burden of what he’s done”.
Rhys Bellinge will be eligible for parole in 2033. (Supplied)
The lawyer told the court his client was suffering from a “mental crisis” at the time because of his family situation, and had been taking the drug Sertraline.
Mr Grace referred to mood disorders and “disinhibition” as side effects of the drug, but Justice Amanda Forrester said “he wasn’t deprived of his free will”.
Perth obstetrician admits killing woman in car crash
Mr Grace also told the court Bellinge had been suspended from practising medicine in March and it would be “almost impossible” for him to regain his licence.
But he told the court Bellinge had almost completed a masters of reproductive medicine and could later work in the field of reproduction.
Bellinge has been held in protective custody, but the reason was not revealed in court.
Bellinge was made eligible for parole after eight and a half years and his sentence was backdated, meaning he could be released in 2033.
Outside court Elizabeth Pearce’s father Andrew spoke of how loved his daughter was and how much she was missed.
Elizabeth Pearce’s father Andrew speaks after Bellinge was sentenced. (ABC News: David Weber)
Flanked by his wife and younger daughter, who both wiped back tears on the courthouse steps, he was asked whether he was happy with Bellinge’s sentence.
“There’s only one winner here and it’s not Elizabeth,” Mr Pearce said.
The courtroom was packed with supporters and family members of both Ms Pearce and Bellinge, many of whom wept as Justice Forrester delivered her remarks.
Mr Usman was also present, leaning heavily on a cane to help him walk as he left the court.
Muhammad Usman was seriously injured in the crash that killed his passenger, Elizabeth Pearce. (ABC News: David Weber)
The court heard he suffered life changing injuries as a result of the crash, as well as lasting anxiety and mental trauma.