A young woman from the Victorian suburb of Wyndham Vale has broken down in court as the details regarding her drinking driving and the subsequent car accident that killed a grandfather were read aloud by the prosecution.
The court heard that Alisha Fagan, 22, was almost six times the legal alcohol limit when she sped through an intersection in the suburb of Sunshine and collided with a silver Honda being driven by 69-year-old Sedat Hussein. Sadly, Mr Hussein died on the scene as a result of his injuries.
Following the fatal accident, Ms Fagan lied to the police, stating that she was a passenger in the car along with four African males who had fled the scene. She also gave the police a fake name.
At the time of the accident, Ms Fagan was on bail for one a lengthy history of driving offences. She had also previously been charged with unlawful assault, which included an alleged attack on an emergency worker, and possessing a weapon.
After her arrest, Ms Fagan controversially avoided jail despite being on four separate bail orders and a lengthy fight by police to put her behind bars. She was instead sent to a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility for First Nations people and banned from driving or being in possession of alcohol.
In a victim impact statement written by Balzik Hassan, the widow described the harrowing details of being informed of her husband’s death. Ms Hassan’s son, Kadir, translated her words to the court.
“I was asking my son what the police were saying,” the victim impact statement said.
“I’ve lost the love of my life. My husband was my world and I can’t bring him back.
“I don’t speak English. I must rely on my sons for this and I feel like a burden.”
Due to Ms Fagan’s Indigenous heritage, her trial was held in the County Court of Victoria’s Koori Court on Monday where she was flanked by her mother and two Aboriginal elders.
Ms Fagan also remarked that she felt ‘safer’ and ‘able to talk’ due to the presence of Indigenous artwork in the room.
In a letter of apology to Mr Hassan’s family, Ms Fagan blamed her actions on alcoholism and stated that she takes ‘full responsibility’ for what happened.
The case has been adjourned until May 9, along with an extension to Ms Fagan’s current bail conditions.
