SA Footy

About 9pm Friday 17 November, emergency services were called to Beach Road after a pedestrian was struck by a car. The car did not stop at the scene but was pulled over by police a short distance away on Port Elliot Road at Goolwa.

The pedestrian, an 18-year-old Colonel Light Gardens man, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Flinders Medical Centre. Sadly, at 7.01pm this evening (Saturday 18 November) the young man passed away in hospital surrounded by family and friends.

Tragedy for all involved

Really terrible news. So much death on our roads at the moment.

The driver, who has P-plate displayed on his car, an 18-year-old Encounter Bay man, was arrested on Friday night and charged with dangerous driving causing serious harm among other charges.

His charges have since been upgraded to causing death by dangerous driving, aggravated driving without due care, leaving the scene of a crash after causing death and failing to truly answer questions.

He has been refused bail and will appear in Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday

Quite rightly, the driver is in deep, deep, trouble.

This makes me sick …

The family of a teenager charged over an alleged hit-run crash that killed the youngest son of the state’s top cop, has expressed sorrow ahead of his first court appearance on Monday.
Dhirren Randhawa, 18, is accused of fatally striking 18-year-old Charlie Stevens, whose father is Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, at Goolwa Beach during Schoolies celebrations on Friday night.

The accused’s family, who have engaged a high-powered King’s Counsel legal silk and a public relations crisis operative, have expressed their sorrow amid a flood of tributes that have continued to be paid to Charlie, an apprentice carpenter and former Mercedes College student.

You express sympathy for the victim’s family, then engage someone to make your son, who (allegedly) callously killed someone, left them for dead, then lied to police about, look like an angel.

His family are expected to attend court in support for Dhirren, a former Victor Harbor High School graduate.

It is unclear if he will apply for bail. In a statement, the accused driver’s mother expressed her sorrow.

“I extend my deepest possible sympathies to the Stevens family and my heart is breaking to think of the suffering and pain they are experiencing,” she said.

Faaark me, Georgina McGuinness, did you coach the ‘friends’ here?

Friends told how the close family, who are well-known in the local community, are devastated at the crash, which is believed to have occurred near the Stevens family’s beach house.

They described the accused as a “good kid”, who was close to his single mother, his two younger sisters and loved his two pet Akita dogs, Hachi and Bella, who he walked daily.

He also helped rescue other dogs in the area.

Dhirren, who had been dating his high school sweetheart for the past year, has never had an alcoholic drink, taken drugs or smoked cigarettes, his family said.

He had aspirations of being a doctor, relatives said.

He was an apprentice barber at a Goolwa hairdressers this year, during which his bosses reported him being among their most popular workers.

He was considering further university studies.

The family, who declined further comment, have hired former Nine Network newsreader Georgina McGuinness to handle the media fallout.

They have also engaged barrister Jane Abbey, KC to help with his legal case.

Kings Counsel, all good, you have the right to defend yourself and seek legal advice.

PR Disaster management, you might need to earn a quid but why in the world would you take that on?

Precisely

I read that this morning and thought:
1. Fair enough on a silk
2. Bad move on PR

The puff piece from the Tiser is appalling.
I reckon it will actually work against them
He's obviously a little angel
Walks his beloved dogs; Hachi and Bella every day and all

McGuinness
She's better giving jobs than accepting the right ones..........
I'm surprised Greg Griffin wasn't appointed as a dynamic duo

Jimmy_041 wrote:I read that this morning and thought:
1. Fair enough on a silk
2. Bad move on PR

The puff piece from the Tiser is appalling.
I reckon it will actually work against them
He's obviously a little angel
Walks his beloved dogs; Hachi and Bella every day and all

McGuinness
She's better giving jobs than accepting the right ones..........
I'm surprised Greg Griffin wasn't appointed as a dynamic duo

Give it time ... Greg will find a way ....

There's a puff piece in The Advertiser? Pretty sickening if so. Stating the obvious, but I can't imagine being in the Stevens family's shoes right now.

The driver charged with killing the son of SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens did a U-turn, sped up and was on the wrong side of the road at the moment of impact, court documents allege.

The documents, filed with the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday, further claim Charlie Stevens had asked Dhirren Singh Randhawa for a ride back to Victor Harbor shortly before the alleged hit-run.

The paperwork, filed by prosecutors, formally charges Mr Randhawa, 18, of Encounter Bay, with causing death by dangerous driving based on the accounts of three eyewitnesses who were with Mr Stevens at Schoolies on Friday night.

However, the document also records a second version of events, given by an eyewitness seated in Mr Randhawa’s car.

She told police that Mr Stevens “ran across the road, into the path” of Mr Randhawa’s car, resulting in the collision.

Mr Randhawa, 18, of Encounter Bay, has yet to plead to causing death by dangerous driving and the lesser, alternative charge of aggravated driving without due care.

The apprentice barber and Victor Harbor High School graduate is further charged with leaving the scene of a crash after causing death and failing to truly answer questions.

SA Police allege he was the P-plate driver behind the wheel of the 2011 Volkswagen Golf hatchback that struck Mr Stevens on Beach Road, Goolwa, about 9pm on Friday night.

Mr Stevens, 18, of Colonel Light Gardens, suffered an irreversible brain injury as a result of the crash and died in hospital on Saturday night, surrounded by friends and family.

Police further allege Mr Randhawa failed to stop following the incident, and was later pulled over on Port Elliot Road at Goolwa.

Following Mr Randhawa’s arrest, his family hired former Nine Network newsreader Georgina McGuinness’ crisis PR firm to represent them.

They issued a statement expressing their “deepest possible sympathies” to the Stevens family.

In their “facts of charge” document, lodged with the court on Monday, prosecutors recount police interviews with Mr Stevens’ three friends.

They allege the witnesses and Mr Stevens had been waiting for the Schoolies shuttle bus to take them back to Victor Harbor.

They further allege the group “flagged down” Mr Randhawa as he drove past to see if they could get a ride, but there was not enough room for them all.

There is no suggestion of animosity between the groups.

The documents allege that, as Mr Randhawa drove off, the witnesses were standing on the grass verge on the road’s western side while Mr Stevens was near the south-bound traffic lane.

The group was, they allege, walking toward the gravel verge when Mr Randhawa’s car performed a U-turn, started to travel on the incorrect side of the road and struck Mr Stevens.

That version of events, the documents say, is disputed by the witness in Mr Randhawa’s car.

She allegedly described observing a few males on the western side of the road, and partially on the footpath, and another male on the eastern side of the road.

They allege she said the male on the eastern side of the road ran across the road into the path of Mr Randhawa’s car.

The witness, they allege, said Mr Randhawa drive a short distance away and called his mother to ask whether he should call police or attend a police station in person.

During that conversation, the witness allegedly said, police arrived and Mr Randhawa surrendered himself.

Mr Randhawa will face court later today.

dedja wrote:This makes me sick …

The family of a teenager charged over an alleged hit-run crash that killed the youngest son of the state’s top cop, has expressed sorrow ahead of his first court appearance on Monday.
Dhirren Randhawa, 18, is accused of fatally striking 18-year-old Charlie Stevens, whose father is Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, at Goolwa Beach during Schoolies celebrations on Friday night.

The accused’s family, who have engaged a high-powered King’s Counsel legal silk and a public relations crisis operative, have expressed their sorrow amid a flood of tributes that have continued to be paid to Charlie, an apprentice carpenter and former Mercedes College student.

You express sympathy for the victim’s family, then engage someone to make your son, who (allegedly) callously killed someone, left them for dead, then lied to police about, look like an angel.

His family are expected to attend court in support for Dhirren, a former Victor Harbor High School graduate.

It is unclear if he will apply for bail. In a statement, the accused driver’s mother expressed her sorrow.

“I extend my deepest possible sympathies to the Stevens family and my heart is breaking to think of the suffering and pain they are experiencing,” she said.

Faaark me, Georgina McGuinness, did you coach the ‘friends’ here?

Friends told how the close family, who are well-known in the local community, are devastated at the crash, which is believed to have occurred near the Stevens family’s beach house.

They described the accused as a “good kid”, who was close to his single mother, his two younger sisters and loved his two pet Akita dogs, Hachi and Bella, who he walked daily.

He also helped rescue other dogs in the area.

Dhirren, who had been dating his high school sweetheart for the past year, has never had an alcoholic drink, taken drugs or smoked cigarettes, his family said.

He had aspirations of being a doctor, relatives said.

He was an apprentice barber at a Goolwa hairdressers this year, during which his bosses reported him being among their most popular workers.

He was considering further university studies.

The family, who declined further comment, have hired former Nine Network newsreader Georgina McGuinness to handle the media fallout.

They have also engaged barrister Jane Abbey, KC to help with his legal case.

An apprentice barber but had aspirations of becoming a doctor? Sounds legit.

Not sure the PR firm have started that well.

Pag wrote:An apprentice barber but had aspirations of becoming a doctor? Sounds legit.

Having a barber perform surgery was all the rage in the middle ages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber_surgeon

dedja wrote:On a more serious note, police losing their lives just doing their job.

And guess who is defending the shooter...

None other than our very own ugly green troll.

???

Footy Chick wrote:

dedja wrote:On a more serious note, police losing their lives just doing their job.

And guess who is defending the shooter...

None other than our very own ugly green troll.

TBS?

dedja wrote:???

I know you've been gone a while but geez man, try and keep up

Footy Chick wrote:

dedja wrote:???

I know you've been gone a while but geez man, try and keep up

Give me a break, I’ve got 8 years to catch up on and got Covid brain fog at the moment.

From Grant and Emma Stevens.

**** that was hard to read!