The teenager who was driving a car involved in a crash that killed a woman and her unborn child told a magistrate ‘I just really want to see my family’ as he was denied bail during his first court appearance.
Samanvidha Dhareshwar, 33, who was eight months pregnant, was walking with her husband and three-year-old son along George Street at Hornsby, on Sydney’s north shore, when she was struck about 8pm on Friday.
Police allege the driver of a Kia Carnival slowed down at the entrance of the train station carpark to let the family cross the footpath when it was hit from behind by a white BMW driven by P-plater Aaron Papazoglu, 19, causing the Kia to surge forward and hit the woman.
Ms Dhareshwar was treated at the scene for catastrophic injuries before she was rushed to Westmead Hospital, where she and her unborn couldn’t be saved.
Papazoglu was later arrested at a home in nearby Wahroonga and charged with three offences, including dangerous driving occasioning death and causing the loss of a foetus.
He appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday as shattered residents laid tributes at the crash scene.
Papazoglu, who has no previous criminal or driving offences, accelerated through an intersection when the traffic light changed to orange, his lawyer Patrick Schmidt told the court.
Applying for bail, Mr Schmidt said the Kia station wagon had stopped to let the pedestrians cross the road and Papazoglu would have been expecting the car to have completed its turn before he collided with it.
Several tributes were left at the scene of the catastrophic crash where an eight months pregnant woman and her unborn baby died after being struck while out on a walk with her husband and young son
Eight months pregnant Samanvitha Dhareshwar, her husband and their three-year-old son were just a few minutes from their apartment in Hornsby where the horror unfolded
The teenager had not been using any drugs or alcohol, was not street racing and had not run a red light, he said.
‘This wasn’t a prolonged, intentional act. This is … a tragic outcome to a series of unfortunate events,’ Mr Schmidt said.
Police allege Papazoglu was speeding, although prosecutors were unsure what evidence supported that claim.
Papazoglu, who is studying a business degree at university, appeared in court via video link from a police holding cell, wearing a hooded jumper.
He sat silently with his head down as Magistrate Ray Plibersek read the facts about the case.
His lawyer presented character references to the court, including from his mother, aunt, uncle and his employer at an after-school care centre.
Mr Plibersek noted Papazoglu’s ‘excellent’ driving record and said he seemed to be a ‘young man of good standing’, but knocked back his bail application due to the seriousness of the charges.
‘It’s an absolutely tragic case,’ he said.
‘It’s a terrible outcome for two families … the community’s heart goes out to (the victim’s) family for the tragic loss.’
Police had opposed bail due to the seriousness of the matter and said a prison sentence was likely if Papazoglu was convicted.
A vehicle believed to be the BMW driven by 19-year-old Aaron Papazoglu who has been charged over the fatal crash and was reportedly asking about the state of his care while in police custody
Police and emergency services on George Street, Hornsby where the 33-year-old mother was walking with her husband and their three-year-old son on Friday night
Papazoglu’s matter will return to court on Tuesday for a mention, with a brief of evidence due by January 18.
The magistrate asked Papazoglu if he understood what had happened in court.
‘I just really want to see my family,’ Papazoglu replied.
He had reportedly asking police for updates about the state of his BMW while in custody, The Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, tributes continue to build at the crash scene, including a heartbreaking letter from the aid who rushed to Ms Dhareshwar’s aid in her final moments.
Laura was out walking near Hornsby train station on Friday night when she witnessed the crash.
On a card she later left at the scene addressed to ‘Dear Mum + Bub + family’, Laura explained that ‘I arrived here on my nightly walk just after the accident occurred’.
‘While we don’t know each other, it was a great privilege to be present with you for those moments,’ she wrote.
‘I pray for you and your little one that you are held with love as you leave this world.
‘Those moments present with you have imprinted a greater depth of love, care and compassion with me.
‘I will carry this into the world with yours and your baby’s names. Words can’t describe how sorry I am that this has happened to you.’
Ms Dhareshwar had been walking out with her husband and their young son on what tragically would be their last outing as a family.
Following the horrific crash, her devastated family were seen crying and covering their mouths in shock.
‘I have children and grandchildren. I can’t even imagine how that family is feeling,’ one woman told the Telegraph.
