Nigeria Abroad
A Nigerian electrician in Australia has been convicted of dangerous driving that led to the death of one person, and now faces a 10-year jail sentence.
Francis Omigie, 53, changed lanes in his Toyota Echo and suddenly stopped on a motorway in the Australian city Sydney on May 9, 2019, causing a multi-vehicle crash at about 5.50am.
An Isuzu truck carrying beer kegs was unable to avoid the 11-vehicle pile-up before hitting an SUV that killed a 36-year-old Irish tradesman, Francis Shanley.
Omigie was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death and failing to stop and assist after telling officers he “didn’t see” the crash.
“He drove away unscathed and told NSW Police that he ‘didn’t see’ the crash after 200 metres of debris was left sprawled along the motorway,” Daily Mail Australia reports.
A local court was shown footage of Omigie’s interrogation on Thursday, “where he slammed his hands on the desk before responding to a police officer in an expletive-ridden rant,” the report says.
“I swear to God I didn’t see it,” he said.
Police questioned the part-time electrical trades assistant on whether he suddenly stopped his vehicle to avoid paying tolls.
“Did you decide that you didn’t wanna pay the toll and decide to try and exit the freeway at Church Street, is that what you were trying to do?” An officer asked.
Omigie denied the claim and said his car had lost power earlier that morning but police found no mechanical issues.
He was also questioned about a text message he sent to his wife saying he nearly got hit in a collision.
“It didn’t happen, I just sent it just to have sympathy that’s all,” he explained to police.
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