A man who was involved in a street race that ended in a fiery crash off the EJ Whitten Bridge has been sentenced in the County Court to 14 years jail.
Adem Arpaci, 23, was found guilty in February of two charges of culpable driving causing death and one charge of perjury, following the crash about 1.30am on January 27, 2016.
Harley Churchill and Ivana Clonaridis died at the scene when Mr Churchill’s car crashed through the bridge barriers and burst into flames.
It took two trials for a jury to reach a verdict in the case against Arpaci after a first trial in October last year resulted in a hung jury.
On the night of the crash Mr Churchill, Ms Clonaridis, and Arpaci had separately attended illegal car events, known as “The Northern Skids”, at locations around Tullamarine, Laverton, Derrimut and Campbellfield.
It was Arpaci’s first time at The Skids.
The court heard that following The Skids, Arpaci was baiting other drivers to race him as he drove along the Western Ring Road.
Witnesses said Arpaci and Mr Churchill’s cars sped down the Ring Road, weaving through traffic and overtaking dangerously at high speeds.
As they approached the E.J. Whitten Bridge, Arpaci was in the right hand lane with Mr Churchill and Ms Clonaridis beside him. Mr Churchill swerved to the left to avoid a truck in his lane and his rear driver side tyre blew out.
Mr Churchill lost control of the car, colliding with a barrier on the bridge. The car burst into flames as it was falling.
An accident re-creationist told the court Arpaci and Mr Churchill would have been travelling at speeds of at least 182 km/h leading up to the crash.
Arpaci initially denied any involvement in the race or crash, but he made a full confession to police on February 4, 2016.
In sentencing earlier this month, Judge Frances Hogan said despite Arpaci’s clean record and strong prospects for rehabilitation, a message had to be sent to the community following the needless loss of life.
“Without you, there would not have been a race. Yourself and Mr Churchill were effectively like a unit, pushing each other on and exposing yourselves and anyone else in the vicinity to the risk of a serious collision by reason of your insane speed,” Ms Hogan said.
“Members of the public using the roads must be protected from drivers who use those roads like some sort of playground for crazy, irresponsible competitions … the only appropriate sentence for the culpable driving charges is an immediate custodial sentence.”
Arpaci will be eligible for parole in 2027.
