Driver admits crash that killed woman and unborn baby while fleeing police
Leeton Bates admitted causing deaths of a 54-year-old woman and her unborn child in a wrong-way crash.
Leeton Bates was driving a stolen Commodore on Newcastle Road at 2:35am when police spotted him and activated their lights. Bates accelerated onto the wrong side of the road to escape.
Dashcam footage and CCTV showed him driving at about 82 to 87kmh in a 60kmh zone, heading directly at an oncoming Hyundai Elantra. The car's 54-year-old passenger died at the scene.
The 27-year-old driver, who was 25 weeks pregnant, suffered serious abdominal injuries and internal bleeding that caused her unborn child to die. Bates fled on foot and was arrested two days later.
He appeared in Newcastle Local Court via video link from jail and admitted the deaths.
- Newcastle Road
- Location
- 2:35am, June 21 last year
- Time of crash
- 82 to 87kmh in a 60kmh zone
- Speed in crash zone
- 25 weeks
- Driver's pregnancy
Why it mattersA court has confirmed that dangerous driving and fleeing police directly caused two preventable deaths, raising questions about enforcement choices.
AustraliaA high-speed wrong-way crash in Newcastle has ended two lives and shows the real cost of high-speed police pursuits through populated areas.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 8 d ago
