A doctor who killed a young woman in a high-speed crash while almost four times over the legal alcohol limit has pleaded guilty.
Perth obstetrician Rhys Henry Stone Bellinge, 45, today admitted the manslaughter of Elizabeth Pearce on February 15.
The 24-year-old was an Uber passenger in a Honda Jazz hatchback struck by Bellinge’s blue Jaguar sedan in Perth’s leafy riverside suburb of Dalkeith.
Footage from another dashcam shown in court earlier depicted Bellinge driving over 100km/h in a 40km/h zone just days before the crash that resulted in Pearce’s death.
Bellinge also allegedly recorded yelling vitriolic profanities about his estranged wife on the night of the crash and in another recording.
Following Pearce’s death, Bellinge was denied bail during a court hearing held at his hospital bed, where he was heard crying and sobbing through an audio link.
Bellinge is set to appear in Perth Magistrates Court tomorrow for three counts of reckless driving for exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h, along with one charge of dangerous driving concerning his conduct days before the crash that led to Pearce’s fatality.
He is scheduled to return to Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on February 24 for a committal mention in preparation for sentencing related to the manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm charges.
