A father of two who deliberately drove his car at a young boy riding a bike through a shopping centre carpark while under the mistaken belief that the bike was his own stolen one has been sentenced to 12 months home detention.
Raymond Anthony Baldwin, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, dangerous driving and failing to stop after the incident at the Green Point Plaza in Bridgewater on November 6, 2022.
The Supreme Court heard that the boy was riding his bike in the carpark when Baldwin began driving towards him.
CCTV footage captured the incident, showing the boy looking behind him to avoid any vehicles as he rode towards the eastern side of the carpark, while doing ‘wheelies’, when he saw the car approaching at speed.
The court found that Baldwin accelerated towards the boy and struck his bicycle, with the impact of the collision mangling the back wheel and damaging the frame.
The force of the impact threw the boy from his bike and caused him to fall to the ground, hitting his head.
As the boy got up and ran towards the Woolworths store to find his mother, Baldwin stopped his car and chased the boy in a state of fury, yelling that he was going to kill him and that his bike was stolen.
Justice Helen Wood said the incident was captured on CCTV and an analysis of the scene showed Baldwin was “travelling at a speed greater than” 42km/h at the point of impact.
“This is a particularly shocking case of dangerous driving and assault … His intention to strike the cyclist was reactionary and in the heat of anger,” she said.
“The victim was completely unprotected and not wearing a helmet. To drive at a child on a bicycle and strike them, subjecting the child to the forces of a collision with a motor vehicle travelling at speed, is an appalling and extremely serious act of violence.”
Justice Wood said the child could have easily sustained permanent and serious bodily injury or been killed.
She noted that Baldwin has no prior convictions and accepted that he was “stressed and preoccupied” with concerns about his partner at the time of the incident.
“Mr Baldwin, I regard you as someone who made a terrible decision when in a heightened state of anger,” she said.
Justice Wood imposed a home detention order of 12 months, ordered Baldwin to complete 140 hours of community service and disqualified him from driving for two years.
