A GUNBOWER man accused of falling asleep at the wheel of a minibus near Shepparton, resulting in a deadly crash, will face a three-day court hearing in February.
Bruce Kenneth Slater, 75, appeared in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where a committal hearing was scheduled for February next year.
He allegedly was driving a minibus on a tour of the Goulburn Valley on May 20, 2021, when the vehicle left the road and rolled about 2.30pm on the Murchison-Violet Road in Arcadia South.
Nine passengers and Mr Slater were injured in the crash, while Echuca woman Casey Spark, 40, died at the scene.
Mr Slater was charged with 12 offences, including dangerous driving causing death, negligently causing serious injury and reckless conduct endangering life.
Prosecutors allege the crash occurred after a fatigued Mr Slater fell asleep at the wheel.
In court, Mr Slater’s lawyer Julien Lowy said the defence would want to cross-examine 14 witnesses at the committal, including three doctors who had treated his client for eye exams and sleep apnoea.
This, he said, would help the court understand how his client’s health conditions developed prior to the crash and examine the specific instructions Mr Slater had received for his sleep apnoea.
The matter was set down for a three-day hearing in Melbourne from February 23 by Magistrate Marita Altman.
This would decide, she said, whether the charges were committed to the County Court for trial.
