Driver who killed Brisbane motorcyclist told police ‘riders make s--- up’: court
By Cloe Read
The wife of a motorbike rider who was hit and killed by a driver in the Brisbane CBD is devastated to know the man could walk free in two months.
Ken Hembrow, 37, was riding along Queen Street in January when he was hit by a car outside the Marriott hotel.
Ken Hembrow, 37, died when he was hit by a car while riding his motorbike in Brisbane’s CBD.
“This is not something I would have ever imagined. Ken was an amazing dad,” Ms Hembrow said of the man with whom she ran a hair salon on Charlotte Street.
Scott Cornelius James Van Iperen, 62, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving without due care and attention, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment.
He was sentenced to six months’ jail, suspended after two months.
During sentencing, Magistrate Joseph Pinder said Mr Hembrow had moved to the left-hand side of Van Iperen’s vehicle at traffic lights.
Hembrow was an “amazing dad”, who was extremely cautious, and had been riding motorbikes for several years at the time of his death, his wife said.
He said he was lawfully entitled to lane filter. In Queensland, riders can move between stationary and slow-moving cars if they are travelling below 30 kilometres an hour.
Pinder said when Mr Hembrow started to ride, Van Iperen accelerated quickly, overtaking the motorbike.
“You passed his motorbike very closely ... he then, undoubtedly concerned as to the proximity of your vehicle and the conduct of your driving, accelerated to the point where he was in front of you,” Pinder said.
Pinder said Van Iperen continued to accelerate, and witnesses never saw any brake lights illuminate.
“You drove, struck him with your motor vehicle, and tragically drove over the top of him and killed him,” he said.
The court heard Van Iperen had told police that “bike riders gather together and they make shit up”, and “they’re a bit soft, they tend to have a bit of a whinge at anything they can and try and blame the car”. He also said lane filtering was a “stupid idea”.
Van Iperen’s lawyer, citing character references and an apology, said he had “shown the utmost remorse for this tragic event”. It was submitted “none of it was intentional”, that Mr Hembrow had contributed to the crash by moving back in front of the car.
Ms Hembrow said she believed if Van Iperen had used his brakes, her husband would probably still be alive.
“He hit Ken and then didn’t even brake. Like literally hit him and then just kept driving,” she said.
“I’m so surprised it’s such a low sentence - to do that to someone and to be so open about how you hate motorbikes and everything like that and then to just only get a careless [driving] charge.”
Pinder said Van Iperen’s comments indicated impatience, intolerance, and said his driving ought to be clarified as aggressive.
Another motorbike rider, who had encountered Van Iperen on nearby Ann Street, provided dashcam to the court, saying he had to take evasive action as he did not feel safe.
Pinder said Van Iperen had a concerning traffic history across Queensland and Victoria.