The Launceston Magistrates court heard that a George Town man who stopped at a serious crash to render assistance on Bridport Rd in March was allegedly driving a stolen motor vehicle at the time.
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Zane Mitchell Cocker, 29, did not plead when he appeared on Wednesday for motor vehicle stealing.
Police allege Mr Cocker stole a Holden Rodeo from a Pipers River residence on March 22.
He did not plead to a count of contravening the conditions of a notice on March 22 by being absent from his George Town address between 8 pm and 6 am.
He also faces a count of driving whilst not the holder of driver's licence on the East Tamar Highway on April 6, 2024
Defence lawyer Fran McCracken said the case was unusual and had come about when Mr Cocker was rendering assistance at a crash which later resulted in the tragic death of a three-year-old boy.
"Mr Cocker stopped the car, he was not involved in the crash, and police allege he was in a stolen car," Ms McCracken said.
Magistrate Ken Stanton refused a request to amend bail conditions, particularly a curfew, for Mr Cocker.
He adjourned the case for plea until July 19.
Police said at the time of the crash that a male passerby had taken two children - the boy and a four-year-old girl from George Town - to George Town Hospital, where the boy was sadly pronounced deceased on arrival.
Emergency services were notified of the single-vehicle Lefroy crash at about 1.20 am on March 22, with initial reports that a woman and two children had been injured.
The 24-year-old female driver, who is the mother of the children, received initial treatment from emergency services and was subsequently taken to Launceston General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries alongside the surviving female child, who had minor injuries.
The woman was driving west in a black Holden Barina on Bridport Road, between Big Hill Road and Dalrymple Road, when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into nearby trees.
Acting Inspector Jones said that police were unsure why the vehicle had left the road and why the car was on the road at the time.
Tasmania Police told the Examiner that an investigation into the crash was ongoing and was anticipated to take several months to complete.
"No charges have been laid against the female driver involved in the crash, and no decision will be made until the investigation is complete," a spokesperson said.
Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
