On Monday, a 66-year-old Australian man, William Swale, faced multiple charges in connection with a car crash into a pub in Melbourne that resulted in the tragic death of five individuals from two Indian-origin families. The crash occurred at the Royal Daylesford Hotel on November 5, claiming the lives of Vivek Bhatia, his son Vihan, Pratibha Sharma, her daughter Anvi, and her husband Jatin Kumar. William Swale, who has been managing type one diabetes for thirty years, was apprehended for the incident and charged with five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury, and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life, according to reports from Australia's ABC News.
During a court hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday, Detective Sergeant Peter Romanis provided details about the events leading up to the crash. Swale had scanned his blood glucose monitoring device approximately 40 minutes before the collision, revealing a glucose level of 2.9 millimoles per liter, considered below a safe threshold. The court heard that Swale received and ignored eight mobile phone alerts via a blood glucose monitoring app before the collision occurred.
CCTV footage showed Swale entering a wine bar and returning to his vehicle around 5:20 pm. He was observed driving at 5:42 pm and 5:44 pm before the tragic incident unfolded at 6:07 pm. Swale lost control of his BMW, veering off Albert Street, crossing a curb, and colliding with diners seated at tables in the outdoor dining area of the pub.
Detective Sergeant Romanis noted that Swale appeared "sweaty," "hot," and "clammy" to passers-by who rushed to assist after the collision. Swale's lawyer asserted that his client would plead not guilty, attributing the incident to a "medical episode." The lawyer emphasized the severity of potential consequences, describing it as "a lot of jail or no jail."
Swale was remanded in custody until Friday, with Magistrate Brett Sonnet expected to make a decision on bail. The criminal case against Swale is anticipated to extend into the next year, with a contested committal hearing determining if there is sufficient evidence for a trial in the County or Supreme Court.
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