2 weeks Ago By Ben Loughran
A Woodvale man who pleaded guilty to seriously damaging two cars and then fleeing the scene in his vehicle will be sentenced next month. or signup to continue reading Christopher Nihill pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates Court on November 22, 2024 to a raft of driving offences including drug driving. The court heard that around 1pm on September 7, 2024 Nihill was parked in a Holden Commodore in a bay on View Street in the centre of the city when he pulled out onto the road.
He failed to give way and collided with the front of a BMW which was heading up the street. The airbags on the BMW were deployed and instead of checking to see if anyone was injured, Nihill attempted to drive away. While attempting to flee the scene, he drove into the parked car in front of him which caused extensive damage to it.
Nihill was eventually able to escape and drove up View Street and onto Barnard Street. Both victims in the BMW were taken to Bendigo Health but neither suffered any serious injuries. The damage to the BMW was so great the $60,000 car had to be written off while the damage inflicted on the parked car equated to around $10,000.
Police attempted to contact Nihill for about 11 days but were unable to until on September 18 when his father took him into Bendigo police station. Another incident Nihill pleaded guilty to took place on May 25 when he was driving along Fogartys Gap Road in Ravenswood South. While driving, his car collided with some trees and skidded across the road and ended up in the embankment on the other side of the street.
Emergency services were contacted and Nihill was transported to hospital where a blood sample was taken. The result of the blood sample came back to police in June which identified Nihill had traces of methamphetamine in his system at the time of driving. During his interview with police, he said believed he "fell asleep" behind the wheel.
The court heard Nihill had struggled with methamphetamine addiction for the last six or seven years with the recent relapse due to a relationship breakdown. Nihill has attempted in the past to get help from a number of Bendigo-based AOD services and was attempting to secure a place at a residential rehabilitation facility. Nihill will be assessed before the next court date for his suitability for the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP) which is a wrap-around service to help offenders get the support they need.
If successfully put on CISP, a case worker will help Nihill for around four months regarding matters including drug and alcohol treatment services and crisis and support accommodation. Magistrate Megan Aumair said Nihill's behaviour in both incidents "is not condoned and cannot be" condoned. Ms Aumair said it was imperative for Nihill to receive the help he needed regarding drug treatment as potential future incidences of drug driving could result in him or someone else being killed on the road.
Nihill is to return to the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on December 3 for sentencing and has had his licence cancelled for 12 months from November 22, 2024. WA boy in Bendigo, happy to be in Central Victoria. WA boy in Bendigo, happy to be in Central Victoria.
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