Judge calls fatal crash driver's criminal record 'about as bad as I've seen'

A Tasmanian judge says the criminal record of a man whose dangerous driving caused the death of a motorcyclist is among the worst she has seen.

Retnakumar Kuppusami died and Suresh Rajakumar suffered "lifelong" injuries when Grant Andrew Crawford crashed a stolen car into a tour group of 10 Malaysian motorcyclists on December 15, 2023, in Tasmania's north-west before fleeing the scene.

Last week Crawford, 55, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Burnie to dangerous driving causing the death of Mr Kuppusami and the grievous bodily harm of Mr Rajakumar, among a range of other violence and driving charges.

Today, the court heard those crimes would be added to a 43-page record of prior criminal convictions dating back to the late 1980s, which included more than 18 years' total of driving bans and multiple imprisonments.

The judge said Crawford's criminal record was "about as bad as I've seen".

"Because there is nothing before me to suggest he has been in the past."

Witnesses saw driver running from scene

The court heard on the day of the crash, Crawford had been dangerously driving a stolen Holden wagon on narrow, rural roads near Yolla.

Crown prosecutor Phillipa Edwards said he had attempted to speed through roadworks and twice rammed a worker's vehicle when they attempted to block his path.

He then crashed through gates at the end of the work site, destroying them, and continued driving dangerously, speeding past multiple vehicles and witnesses before the crash that killed Mr Kuppusami.

Ms Edwards said Crawford caused the crash when he collided with a trailer being towed in the northbound lane of the Murchison Highway as the group of motorcyclists were riding south.

She said one witness described seeing the resulting crash in his rear-view mirror, when Crawford's car careered onto the wrong side of the road.

She said dashcam footage of the aftermath of the crash recorded "both patients screaming in pain".

At the time, Tasmania Police Commander Stuart Wilkinson described the crash scene as "very confronting" for first responders and witnesses.

Ms Edwards told the court multiple witnesses saw Crawford running from the scene of the crash.

One witness yelled: "What the f*** are you doing?" as Crawford fled.

The court heard he handed himself in to police in Burnie four days later and has been in custody ever since.

Lives of victims devastated

Mr Kuppasami was married with a young daughter when he died, and his wife provided a victim impact statement to the court she asked Justice Jago to read to herself.

In a victim impact statement Ms Edwards read to the court, Mr Rajakumar, who is also married with two young children, detailed injuries he expected to affect him for the rest of his life.

He underwent multiple surgeries while in Tasmania to have metal plates and rods inserted in a leg and an arm, and, after returning to Malaysia, he needed to attend hospital every three days for months.

"I cannot walk or stand for long periods. I cannot run. I cannot walk in a straight line," Ms Edwards read.

"I cannot ride a motorcycle or a bicycle.

The court heard he had been unable to work or earn an income since the crash and relied on the support of family and his wife to undertake all household duties.

Driver barely out of prison

In her sentencing submissions, Ms Edwards detailed Crawford's lengthy criminal history which she said showed he had posed a serious risk to the public for many years.

"The risk to the public … when driving, has now been realised by the killing of a man and the serious injuries of another with lifelong consequences," Ms Edwards said.

She said Crawford had a voluminous record of prior convictions, including for many of the same crimes he had pleaded guilty to in this case.

She calculated that since his criminal history began as an 18-year-old, he had been banned from driving on Tasmania's roads for more than 18 years.

She also said Crawford had demonstrated no remorse or insight into his crimes, and that the guilty verdict was "inevitable" if he took the case to jury trial.

Discussing whether Crawford was "capable of change", the judge said there was nothing to suggest he had learned from previous imprisonments.

"He barely comes out of prison before he commits offences that send him back in," she said.

Justice Jago also said the case against Crawford was "almost overwhelming", and that she suspected the prosecution would have been able to secure a guilty verdict at trial for manslaughter, which he was initially charged with.

Defence lawyer Kirsten Abercromby said there was utility in his guilty plea that should be considered, as it saved the state from having to prosecute a two-week jury trial.

Ms Abercromby said it also meant witnesses did not have to relive the trauma of the day, and that another trial could begin sooner than was initially expected.

Justice Jago remanded Crawford in custody to be sentenced on August 20.