A 66-year-old Australian man, William Swale, faced charges in connection with a fatal crash in Melbourne on Monday. The crash resulted in the death of five individuals from two Indian-origin families at a pub’s outdoor dining area last month.
The tragic incident occurred at the Royal Daylesford Hotel on November 5, claiming the lives of Vivek Bhatia (38), his son Vihan (11), Pratibha Sharma (44), her nine-year-old daughter Anvi, and her husband Jatin Kumar (30).
Bhatia’s younger son, Abir, and wife Ruchi, who were also involved, were hospitalised but have since been discharged. Swale, who has been managing type one diabetes for thirty years, is now facing charges including five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury, and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life, as reported by ABC News.
During Monday’s proceedings at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, Detective Sergeant Peter Romanis revealed that Swale scanned his blood glucose monitoring device at 5:17 pm, approximately 40 minutes before the crash.
The reading displayed 2.9 millimoles of glucose per litre of blood, a level considered below the safe threshold. Sergeant Romanis added that Swale received and ignored eight mobile phone alerts via a blood glucose monitoring app prior to the collision.
Sergeant Romanis reported that CCTV footage captured Swale entering a wine bar at 5:20 pm, requesting a table, and subsequently returning to his vehicle. The footage showed Swale driving his vehicle at 5:42 pm, 5:44 pm, and 6:07 pm when, according to Romanis, he “lost control of the BMW.” The vehicle veered down Albert Street, crossing a kerb and colliding with diners seated at tables on the grass reserve.
During the incident, Swale remained in his vehicle, and witnesses noted he appeared “sweaty,” “hot,” and “clammy.” Swale’s lawyer, Martin Amad, announced his client’s intention to plead not guilty, attributing the crash to a “medical episode.” Amad argued that prosecutors couldn’t establish Swale’s awareness of dangerously low blood glucose levels.
Amad emphasised the stakes, stating, “It’s a lot of jail, or no jail.” The court learned that Swale had received over 30 penalty notices for driving infractions, mostly related to excessive speed, with only one prior conviction.
During cross-examination, Amad queried Sergeant Romanis about Swale’s management of his medical condition since his 1994 diagnosis, to which Romanis affirmed that he had. Amad suggested various reasons for Swale not heeding blood glucose warnings, including being in the midst of a medical episode, a point to which Romanis concurred.
Swale reportedly gave a “no comment” interview upon arrest. Sergeant Romanis highlighted the significance of medical and mobile phone evidence in the prosecution’s case, revealing ongoing discussions with the app company for information provision.
Swale has been remanded in custody until Friday, pending a bail decision by Magistrate Brett Sonnet. The criminal case is expected to extend into the next year, culminating in a contested committal hearing to determine trial eligibility in the County or Supreme Court.
