The trial of a taxi driver accused of killing a pedestrian, while he was allegedly fatigued behind the wheel, has been postponed by the South Australian District Court.
30-year-old Amanpreet Singh’s trial will not restart, but will now proceed by judge-alone, after the jury was dismissed on the final day of the trial on Tuesday.
Courtroom records show that the decision was taken by Judge Barry Beazley “in the interests of justice and to save evidence” after the prosecution indicated that it had located a further witness.
Case background:
Mr Singh is accused of causing the death of 61-year-old Manjit Dhadwal who was crossing Anzac Highway in Adelaide in November 2017. The court heard that Mr Dhadwal was drunk and was wearing dark clothing at the time of the incident.
During the trial, prosecutor Michael Foundas alleged that Mr Singh had 180 metres to avoid the crash, but he was ‘distracted’ by his taxi monitor system and so fatigued that he failed to take evasive action.
“He didn’t even know he had hit, let alone killed a person, until after the collision,” Mr Foundas told the court.
Mr Singh has pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
For six days, the jury heard evidence from major crash investigators and experts on various subjects related to the case, including the aftermath of sleep deprivation and the impact of fatigue.
Manjit Dhadwal died while crossing the Anzac Highway in Adelaide in November 2017. Source: Supplied
Court records show that the trial was listed for final addresses when Judge Beazley closed the court, and after a short hearing, formally discharged the jury.
He ordered that the “evidence already received in the trial be evidence before me”.
Mr Singh was remanded on continuing bail until November 6, when the trial will recommence.
Share
