4 July 2016
7
A Star News Group Publication
Danish honour for top Hallam manufacturer
SPORT
Covering Endeavour Hills, Doveton & Hallam
Stadium celebrates a quarter of a century
■ Self-styled hoon ‘King’ in a spin as he faces jail...
Hoon slides to jail By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
SKIN CANCER CLINIC
Marcus Reddecliffe signals to drivers queuing at the Licola Crescent skid bowl
BERWICK Dr Mike Inskip Dr Ankur Bansal Dr Nisha James
48 Van der Haar Avenue, Berwick, Vic 3806
tel 9769 3358 EARLY DETECTION AND TREATMENT OF SKIN CANCER IS THE KEY NO REFERRAL FROM GP IS NECESSARY WWW.SUNPATROLSCC.COM.AU
around like a lunatic,” Mr Bright said. Mr Bright said Reddecliffe’s rehabilitative prospects - without going to jail - were improved by recently becoming a father. Reddecliffe was previously convicted and fined $2500 for reckless conduct during a police pursuit in 2013. Magistrate Barry Schulz said Reddecliffe’s professional driving experience should have made him more alert to the dangers and that his culpability as the organiser was higher than other participants'.
BUY 2 GET I
“He was directing cars in the bowl but when there were fireworks thrown in, thick smoke and up to six people in the midst of the cars, not at one stage (did) he (go to) manage the ... pedestrian participants. “The risk to people was horrendous.” Reddecliffe was also given an 18 month community corrections order, was ordered to take a safe driving program, to undertake 175 hours of community work and was disqualified from driving for two years.
FREE Custom
Blinds
Blinds & Curtains
1232157-PB25-16
iser, he said he was part of it but not the “runner” of the meetings. By the end of the interview he made full admissions. “Thanks for being honest,” informant Acting Detective Sergeant Luke Holmes told him. Reddecliffe replied: “I’m still f***ed.” Defence barrister Simon Bright said Reddecliffe, a legal speedway driver who competed twice a month and had low self-esteem, organised the meets as a social outlet. “He doesn’t need it to satisfy his urges to drive 1230360-DJ23-16
The ringleader - or self-described “king” - of South East Skids hoon meets has been sentenced to jail for three months. Marcus Cory Reddecliffe, 25, pleaded guilty to five counts of inciting reckless conduct endangering serious injury at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 29 June. He was soon released on bail after he lodged an appeal against his sentence with the County Court. Reddecliffe was the sole organiser of five meets which were held in several industrial areas in December 2015 and January 2016. The hoons and up to 400 spectators assembled and shifted venues regularly in a night at the direction of Reddecliffe by text or by yelling to the crowd, the court heard. The accused used the pseudonym ‘KING OF SES’ in his text messages - more than 750 of them on the day of one meet, police prosecutor Acting Sergeant Cameron Smithett told the court. The bowl was circled by spectators without safety barriers between them and the cars which were wildly circling and skidding at high speed sometimes two or three cars at a time. Up to 12 spectators at times wandered into the smoke-filled bowl to film on their phones. On one occasion a young woman was knocked from her feet and hospitalised after being struck by convicted skids participant Mitchell McCullagh’s veering car at a September meet. Reddecliffe did not take on the organisation of the events until two months later, but knew of the incident at the time, the court heard. The nights usually ended in Licola Crescent, Dandenong South, due to its large turnaround bowl and isolation. There, cars and drivers were captured on camera by Taskforce Regarder police who charged 41 people. About 13 participants have had their cars forfeited and crushed and some have been jailed - a judicial response that has ceased the skid meets, police have said. During his police interview, Reddecliffe initially denied several times that he was the organiser, though uttering that he was destined for jail. He denied he was captured on several grabs of footage, and claimed he forwarded texts of skid meet details rather than initiated them. On one of his meet nights, he went to his regular Tuesday tennis, he told police and was in bed at 10pm. When told of a telephone intercept that recorded Reddecliffe conceding he was the organ-
FREE
30-32 Victor cres Narre Warren 3805
Ph
E-Mail sales@impactblinds.com.au Web Site www.impactblinds.com.au Melway Ref 110 E5
97056366 Open 6 Days