A drink-driver who hit a doctor cycling to work, causing a traumatic brain injury, was recorded laughing on the phone when speaking about the crash at a police station. John Luke Murphy, 25, told a person on the other end of the call that the victim 'probably shouldn't have been' on the road because he didn't 'pay rego'.
The ACT Magistrates Court found these comments were affected by the fact he was 'clearly intoxicated at the time' and unaware of the extent of the victim's injuries. Murphy was sentenced on Thursday, December 4, having pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm.
Magistrate Alexandra Burt handed the man a two-year-and-four-month intensive correction order, and ordered him to complete 250 hours of community service. He was also disqualified from driving for more than two years, and prohibited from consuming alcohol for a year.
In May 2024, at 8am, the victim was travelling along the Cotter Road when Murphy crashed into him. The cyclist was thrown onto the windscreen and then projected onto the ground, unconscious and struggling to breathe. A passing doctor stopped and rendered assistance; without it, the cyclist 'would have certainly died'.
Murphy had been black-out drunk the night before, consuming multiple beers and Hard Rated drinks. He returned a blood alcohol level reading after the crash of 0.142, almost three times the legal limit. The cyclist suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, brain haemorrhages, amnesia, spinal fractures, abrasions and limb injuries.
In deciding not to sentence him to full-time imprisonment, the magistrate said jail 'can be a catalyst for further involvement in criminal activities'. A 'strict and restrictive set of circumstances' would allow Murphy to continue his rehabilitation progress until he is 'no longer a risk to the community'.
