Killer driver ignored passenger’s plea

A killer driver ignored his passenger’s warning of “stop, red light” moments before slamming into a couple’s car and killing them instantly.

The crash occurred as Oudom Seney Doeun, 25, was speeding in a black BMW at more than 200km/h down North Rd in Caulfield South on May 15 last year.

Santosh Adhikari and Pratima Thapa Adhikari, who were driving home from work at a Melbourne aged care home, died at the scene while Doeun and his mate survived.

He returned before the County Court of Victoria on Friday for a presentence hearing after pleading guilty to two counts of culpable driving causing death and one charge of recklessly causing injury.

The court was told members of the Cambodian man’s family had travelled to Victoria to be present for the hearing.

Prosecutor Raphael De Vietri urged Judge Jeanette Morrish to find Doeun’s offending was a “very high level of objective gravity”, as his decision to speed at enormous speed through an intersection was deliberate.

“Because of those circumstances and the very high likelihood this would end in catastrophic consequences, Your Honour could assess this case at the high end,” he said.

“They were completely innocent members of the public … Driving home from work, making a right-hand turn carefully through an intersection and all of a sudden their lives were cut short.”

Doeun’s barrister Philip Dunn KC described the crash as a deadly mistake over a short duration, noting there was only “seconds available after the light turns red”.

“This short burst of criminal behaviour is over seconds not minutes,” he said.

“It was clearly wrong and criminal and he’s pleaded guilty to it.”

Mr Dunn asked Judge Morrish to take into account his client’s young age, the fact he will be incarcerated far from family and the prospect of deportation after his sentence ends.

He will be sentenced on September 20.