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Truckie who witnessed death of Brisbane couple too traumatised to speak

A tow-truck driver who witnessed the fatal crash that claimed the lives of a couple and their unborn child at Alexandra Hills this week is still too traumatised to speak about the incident, his sister has revealed.

Jan 29, 2021, updated Jan 29, 2021
Daniel Edie's tow truck says his tow truck was hit by the four-wheel-drive alleged to have caused the deaths of  (Photo: ABC)

Daniel Edie's tow truck says his tow truck was hit by the four-wheel-drive alleged to have caused the deaths of (Photo: ABC)

Daniel Edie was on his way to a separate crash, allegedly involving the 17-year-old charged with murder of the two crash victims, when his truck was struck by the allegedly stolen four-wheel-drive at the intersection where Matthew Field and Kate Leadbetter were killed.

Edie’s sister Samantha Rasborsek said her brother witnessed the fatal crash and was still too distraught to talk, but he stood alongside his sister this morning as she gave a short statement on his behalf.

“As a passenger in a vehicle that … seeing it happen in front of him and being so helpless, that changes the whole scenario,” Samantha Rasborsek said.

“He’s no longer just someone attending a scene like emergency services. We are extremely lucky and grateful that he only received cuts and bruises and no serious physical injuries but the mental and emotional impact is greater then we can imagine for him.”

Rasborsek said in the moments after the crash, her brother jumped out to try to help Leadbetter and Field.

“He also immediately went into automatic mode and diverted traffic away from the scene,” she said.

Edie’s truck was impounded for evidence, and he cannot work until the police complete their investigation, Rasborsek said.

Police alleged the teenager, from the Logan suburb of Waterford West, had been driving dangerously while “affected with an intoxicating substance” after allegedly stealing the Landcruiser about an hour before the two crashes.

He has been charged with two counts of murder and dangerous driving while affected by an intoxicating substance.

Police are awaiting autopsy results to decide whether there will be more charges over the death of Leadbetter and Field’s unborn child.

Cars stolen in Brisbane

In a separate incident, police have arrested and charged two teenagers after an alleged car-stealing spree in Brisbane’s south.

Police said two silver Mercedes-Benz cars and a white Toyota LandCruiser were stolen during a burglary at Sungold Place, Eight Mile Plains, about 1:45am Thursday.

A short time later, one of the stolen cars was involved in a crash on Victor Street.

The boys, aged 15 and 17, then left the area on foot before police arrived.

Around noon, the stolen LandCruiser was then seen at nearby Calamvale.

Police tracked the teenagers as they drove to the city and south on the Pacific Motorway.

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While stopped in traffic on the motorway police quickly cordoned an area at Woolloongabba and arrested the pair about 1:30pm.

Both have been denied bail and remanded in police custody until their appearance in the Childrens Magistrates Court.

Meanwhile, legal experts are warning the public and media that disclosing information about the 17-year-old boy could derail the course of justice.

President of the Queensland Law Society Bill Potts told ABC Radio Brisbane there were serious consequences for individuals who “name and shame” and media outlets who publicise prejudicial information.

“When [people] react you get this tsunami of grief and anger and rather than thinking about trying to achieve justice for our society for these people who have found themselves killed they rush headlong, vigilante-style, to give some affect to their anger,” he said.

“The unfortunate problem with that is that it can have the effect of causing a mistrial or simply disrupting the whole justice process.

“The Youth Justice Act is clear that they can’t be identified, they can’t be photographed and they can’t have their addresses plastered on the internet or indeed anywhere,” he said.

Potts said if an accused was named in social media posts or identified in the media, courts could rule that it would not be possible to get a fair trial or that an impartial jury could not be empanelled because of such widespread coverage.

“It can have terrible consequences for the loved one of the people who have died.

“They want justice, they want a day in court but they don’t want that, I presume, sullied by people who think they are doing the right thing but are in effect doing harm,” he said.

– ABC / © 2020 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

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