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A man charged with killing a police officer who was participating in a memorial motorcycle ride had drank beer and smoked the drug ice hours before and was rushing to return home because his partner had gone into labour, a court has heard.
Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Kostiuk, 59, died when the motorbike he was riding collided with a car on the Princes Highway, near Orbost on Friday.
Jesse Reid, 21, of Botanic Ridge, appeared in the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court today charged with culpable driving and dangerous driving causing death.
In opposing bail, Detective Acting Sergeant Philip Frith told the court Mr Reid had five prior traffic convictions, including for drink driving and driving without a licence.
Mr Reid was on his way from Merimbula in New South Wales to Victoria when the collision occurred on Friday afternoon, and he told police he was rushing to return home because his partner had gone into labour with his first child.
“[Mr Reid] told police his partner had gone into labour … but he stopped in Eden for two hours to smoke ice and drink beer,” Sergeant Frith said.
Mr Reid’s partner gave birth to a son on the day of the crash, the court heard.
The court was told Mr Reid had an interlock fitted to his car following his previous drink driving offence which required the driver to have no alcohol in their system.
To get around the device after drinking beer, Mr Reid asked a 16-year-old companion to blow into the device after the pair stopped in Eden
The court was told initial analysis showed Mr Reid was travelling about 140kmh and had veered on to the wrong side of the road when he lost control and struck the police officer.
Senior Sergeant Kostiuk, had almost 40 years of service and was riding with his son, who is also a detective, when he was killed.
The pair were taking part in the Wall to Wall ride from Melbourne to Canberra, which commemorates police officers killed in the line of duty.
The court heard Mr Reid was estranged from his family and they did not want bail to be granted.
Sergeant Frith said Mr Reid’s father told police “on remand is the safest place for him and the community”.
The court heard Mr Reid’s mother had paid $30,000 for him to attend a private drug rehabilitation facility in 2016, and Mr Reid admitted he had mental heath issues.
Mr Reid was without legal representation in court and broke down crying as he made a case to be released on bail.
He told Magistrate Simon Garnett he wanted bail so he could spend time with his newborn son.
“I want to go and meet my son and support my girlfriend for as long as I can until I go to court,” Mr Reid said.
“I’m sorry and I will appear if you do let me go on bail.”
The magistrate refused Mr Reid’s application for bail and remanded him in custody to appear in the Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court on January 23.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, vic, orbost-3888, nsw, merimbula-2548, eden-2551
