The mother of a man who was crushed under a Bobcat driven by his beer-affected mate says she’s unsurprised his killer could be released from jail in as little as three years.
Christopher Bell was today sentenced to seven years behind bars for fatally running over George Tereva, 34, at a Melbourne worksite in September 7, 2022.
But the 53-year-old could be released from jail much sooner, as he will be eligible for parole after four years and has already spent close to a year in custody.
Mr Tereva’s mother Pauline said the jail term – well below the 25-year maximum for manslaughter – was expected.
“It doesn’t matter how long the sentence would have been anyway – it wouldn’t bring back what we wanted the most,” she told reporters outside court.
“He’s got to live with this for the rest of his life. He killed his mate.”
Bell was drinking beers with Mr Tereva and two colleagues when he decided to jump behind the wheel of a Bobcat he had never driven before.
He started driving around in circles at the Bangholme worksite, repeatedly driving towards his three workmates, when he accelerated towards Mr Tereva and ran him over.
Mr Tereva was trapped under the machinery, suffering a deep cut to his calf and abrasions to his back and pelvis.
Paramedics were called and while Mr Tereva was initially breathing and conscious, his condition quickly deteriorated and he died in hospital.
Bell left the scene before police arrived but returned an hour later and did a blood-alcohol test that showed a reading of 0.1.
He admitted drinking four or five beers after work with the others but claimed Mr Tereva encouraged him to drive the Bobcat.
Bell told police he shouldn’t have been operating the excavator but denied performing any circles, instead saying the machinery bucked forward before the fatal collision.
It took 11 months for detectives to charge Bell with manslaughter by criminal negligence and he was extradited from NSW to face the charges in August 2023.
He pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Melbourne in May.
In sentencing Bell, Justice Christopher Beale noted he had previous drink-driving convictions and had told repeated “self-serving” lies to police during his record of interview.
But the judge found Bell had since taken responsibility for his actions through his early guilty plea.
“I have no doubt about your remorse – you killed a friend,” Justice Beale said.
The judge took into account Bell’s diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and ADHD, which would make his time in custody more difficult.
The mental conditions contributed to his offending as they compromised his decision-making skills, Justice Beale said.
He jailed Bell for seven years, imposing a non-parole period of four years.
Bell was also disqualified from driving for five years.
Pauline Tereva told reporters she wanted her son to be remembered as the light of their family.
“Nothing’s ever going to be the same again,” she said.
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