A Canberra drink driver who struck a doctor cycling to work, inflicting a severe and likely lifelong brain injury, was heard laughing on a phone call while discussing the crash at a police station.
Court hears shocking details of crash and callous behaviour
John Luke Murphy, 25, was sentenced in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday, December 4, after pleading guilty to culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm. The court heard that in May 2024, at around 8am, the victim was cycling along Cotter Road near the Tuggeranong Parkway slip lane when Murphy's vehicle crashed into him.
The force of the impact threw the cyclist onto the windscreen before he was projected onto the road, where he lay unconscious and struggling to breathe. A passing doctor with emergency experience stopped and provided critical aid, with the court later stating this intervention certainly saved the victim's life.
Murphy, who was shoeless and slurring his words when he exited his vehicle, immediately admitted, "Sorry, this is all my fault." A subsequent test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.142 – nearly three times the legal limit. He had been drinking heavily the night before.
Laughing phone call and victim's devastating injuries
While at the police station after the collision, Murphy was recorded on a phone call laughing as he spoke about the incident. He told the person on the other end that the victim "probably shouldn't have been" on the road because he didn't "pay rego".
Magistrate Alexandra Burt found these remarks were influenced by the fact Murphy was "clearly intoxicated at the time" and unaware of the catastrophic harm he had caused.
The cyclist, a medical professional, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, brain haemorrhages, spinal fractures, amnesia, and multiple limb injuries. The court heard the brain injury is likely to be permanent and lifelong.
Sentence focuses on rehabilitation over imprisonment
Despite the gravity of the offence, Magistrate Burt sentenced Murphy to a two-year-and-four-month intensive correction order in the community, along with 250 hours of community service. He was disqualified from driving for over two years and prohibited from consuming alcohol for one year.
The magistrate noted Murphy had previously been convicted of drink-driving in 2020. However, she said he had since completed 24 psychology sessions addressing his alcohol use. Ms Burt stated that full-time imprisonment would cause "significant disruption" to Murphy's roofing business, which he owns with a partner and employs his brothers.
She also suggested jail "can be a catalyst for further involvement in criminal activities." Instead, she imposed a "strict and restrictive" order to allow rehabilitation to continue. Murphy was warned that non-compliance would see him taken to the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
After the sentencing, Murphy attempted to evade media by wearing sunglasses, a hat, a face mask, and letting his shirt hang loose – a different appearance from his time in court.
