Shaun Baensch’s girlfriend had a simple piece of advice for him: “don’t be an idiot, just keep driving.” Yet, consumed by jealousy, Baensch chose to ignore her as he trailed an e-scooter rider on his way home.
Having recently been released from prison after serving time for armed robbery, Baensch was plagued by rumors. Whispers were circulating that Bryce Trower and Baensch’s girlfriend were romantically involved, a notion that ignited a dangerous jealousy within him.
The situation reached a tragic climax on December 11, 2023. In a fit of rage, Baensch deliberately struck Trower with his vehicle. The impact was catastrophic. Trower, who had been riding his Segway Ninebot e-scooter, was violently thrown into the air, colliding with the ute’s windscreen before being propelled seven meters down the road.
As Trower lay critically injured on Forster Street in Norlane, a suburb of Geelong, Baensch fled the scene, leaving the 31-year-old victim to die. Despite the efforts of nearby residents who rushed to his aid, Trower succumbed to his injuries at the location.
In the aftermath, Baensch managed to evade capture for several months. A judge later remarked on the “calculated steps” he took to mask his involvement in the fatal incident. Today, justice seeks to catch up with Baensch for his cold and calculated actions.
Baensch avoided apprehension for the killing for several months after taking what a judge today labelled as “calculated steps” to conceal his involvement.
This included removing parts of the ute the day after and then getting a friend to store the vehicle at their home.
He also lied to police, claiming Trower had fallen in front of his vehicle, and at one point joked to an associate about having “done a Bryce” when he fell off a scooter.
“All this behaviour post the offence must be seen as having been motivated by self-preservation,” Supreme Court Justice Peter Kidd told Baensch as he sentenced him.
“It showed complete disregard for Mr Trower’s welfare.”
Baensch, who last year pleaded guilty to manslaughter and failure to stop over the fatal hit-and-run, was arrested over Trower’s death in May 2024.
He claimed he had intended to knock Trower off the scooter, but not kill him, after being “driven crazy” by rumours about him and his girlfriend.
“I was just trying to nudge him, and I didn’t go to plan,” he told police.
Justice Kidd found Baensch’s manslaughter was a very serious example of the offence as it was not an accident and he had deliberately hit Trower.
“Collisions involving motor vehicles and pedestrians, or riders, are often referred to as accidents, the collision with Mr Trower was no accident,” he said.
“Your unlawful act, deliberately striking Mr Trower with your motor vehicle, was an extremely dangerous act.”
He sentenced Baensch to a maximum of 10 years and six months in prison, and ordered he spend seven years behind bars before he will be eligible for parole.
Baensch has already served one year and eight months of his sentence.
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