Vic: Killer driver fled Australia on false passport: police

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2009
Vic: Killer driver fled Australia on false passport: police

By Daniel Fogarty

MELBOURNE, Aug 20 AAP - A drunk learner driver who killed a pedestrian in a high speed
crash fled to India on a false passport hours after reporting for bail, police claim.

Puneet Puneet (Puneet Puneet) had a blood alcohol reading of 0.165 when he crashed
his car into Gold Coast student Dean Hofstee, 19, in central Melbourne last October.

He was to face the Victorian County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to culpable
driving, despite blaming the crash on a cat.

But Puneet, 19, failed to front court and Judge Lisa Hannan issued a warrant for his arrest.

Police believe Puneet left Australia on the passport of fellow Indian student Sukhcharanjit
(Sukhcharanjit) Singh, on a 3.50pm flight to New Delhi on June 12, three hours after reporting
for bail.

Shortly after Puneet, of Newport, was due to front court on Thursday, police arrested
and charged Singh with providing his passport to Puneet.

In court documents, police allege Singh, 20, provided Puneet with his Indian passport
knowing Puneet could use it to travel.

Singh, 20, of Reservoir, appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates Court and made
no application for bail.

He was remanded in custody to appear in the same court for committal mention on November 12.

Mr Hofstee's family had travelled to Victoria from Queensland for Puneet's hearing
hoping for some closure.

Outside court, Mr Hofstee's brother Quinton and father Peter said they would continue
to pursue justice.

"I think Dean would like justice," Quinton Hofstee told reporters.

"If it was him in that position he would have stood up and taken responsibility for his actions."

Peter Hofstee said it was his belief that Puneet had fled to India.

"He is in India. I think he is in India," he said.

"I would certainly hope the Australian and Indian authorities co-operate to bring him back."

Police said at a previous court hearing that Puneet, a Victorian Institute of Culinary
Arts and Technology cookery student, recorded a 0.165 blood-alcohol reading after the
crash.

He was estimated to be travelling at almost 150km/h when he lost control of his vehicle
in the 60km/h zone on City Road at Southbank.

Mr Hofstee and a second student, Clancy Coker, 20, who was seriously injured in the
crash, were in Melbourne for the Australian Universities Games.

In an interview with News Limited papers a few days after the crash, Puneet blamed
a cat for the crash.

"My eyes were sore and they were closed and when they opened a cat came onto the road
and I lost control," Puneet said.

In the interview, he admitted to drinking four scotch and Cokes, but denied he was
travelling at 150km/h.

AAP df/pmu/ash/cdh

KEYWORD: PUNEET WRAP

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