By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The supervisor of a drug-impaired truck driver who fatally crashed into four police officers on the Eastern Freeway has been committed to trial for manslaughter.
Simiona Tuteru, 50, of the Lyndhurst-based Connect Logistics pleaded not guilty to the charges as well as to alleged failures under the Heavy Vehicle National Law at a committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 15 July 2021.
He will stand trial at the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Tuteru was the supervisor of Cranbourne truckie Mohinder Bajwa Singh, who drove into two police vehicles and a Porsche parked in the freeway emergency lane at Kew on 22 April 2020.
Sleep-deprived and meth-impaired, Singh fatally struck Victoria Police officers Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Joshua Prestney.
At a committal hearing on 15 July, Melbourne magistrate Luisa Bazzani said there was sufficient evidence for Tuteru to stand trial.
It was sufficiently open for a jury to convict Tuteru for “criminal negligence” causing the officers’ deaths, Ms Bazanni said.
That is, Tuteru breached his duty of care by allowing Singh to drive while knowing Singh was suffering fatigue.
The supervisor met with Singh shortly before sending him to drive a 19-tonne prime-mover in busy, peak-hour traffic at dusk, Ms Bazanni noted.
According to Singh’s police statement, Tuteru referred to experience with witches in Africa, placed his hand on Singh’s head and prayed.
“In Jesus name I cast the spell out of you,” he allegedly told him.
Tuteru then said: “OK you are right to go now – I just need you to do the load to Thomastown and then you can come back.
“See how you are feeling and go home.”
A “severely drug impaired” Singh fell asleep behind the wheel and caused the fatal crash, giving his victims “no hope of escaping”, Ms Bazanni said.
It was a “tragic and pointless loss of lives”.
Ms Bazanni said Singh’s evidence in court was “contradictory” and “vague”, but he had been “consistent” on the issue of his fatigue.
She noted other evidence such as the statement of Singh’s daughter.
On the fatal afternoon, the daughter didn’t want a “distressed”-looking Singh to leave the house because “I thought he was going to kill someone”.
Singh had texted Tuteru that morning that “(his work colleague) Steve said I’m not fit to drive”, the magistrate said.
Tuteru responded: “Steve is NOT a doctor.”
Ms Bazanni also noted Connect employee Stephen Harrison texted Tuteru that afternoon with concerns over Singh’s “mental state” and references to Singh’s fatigue.
Singh was “not in a good spot”, had parked trucks in the wrong docks, had a sleep on the way back to the depot and slept in, Mr Harrison had texted.
In April, Singh, was jailed for up to 22 years for culpable driving causing the officers’ deaths as well as trafficking meth, cannabis and 1,4-butanediol.
Tuteru was bailed to appear at the Supreme Court on 28 July.
