A man has faced a North Queensland court today charged over a golf buggy crash that killed his new wife while the pair were honeymooning on Hamilton Island.
Robbie Awad is fighting one charge of driving without due care and attention causing death.
He has pleaded guilty to charges of using a mobile phone while driving and failing to ensure he and his wife, Marina Hanna, were wearing seatbelts when the golf buggy they were travelling in tipped.
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The vehicle crushed Hanna underneath and killed her in June 2022.
The Sydney couple had only been married for 10 days when the tragedy unfolded during their honeymoon.
The court heard they had left their accommodation at the luxurious Qualia resort and were driving up a steep road near One Tree Hill to get something to eat.
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Police body cam from the hours after the incident showed a visibly distraught Awad telling officers, “It wasn’t going very fast and I said ‘oh babe the battery’s f—ed’.
“So I said, ‘Oh I’ll chuck a U-ey’, and as I turned it picked up pace, it flung her out.
“It just took off, that was it, it was three seconds.
“I can’t believe she’s dead … how does that happen?”
The defence is arguing Awad drove carefully, executed the U-turn in the most prudent way he thought possible, and the death of his wife was a tragic accident.
The hearing continues tomorrow.
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