Special fixture set in Tamworth court for man accused of dangerous driving after double-fatal crash on Thunderbolts Way near Nowendoc

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death. A string of other charges are listed as back-up or related.

Crown prosecutor Matt Coates told Tamworth District Court last week that the matter had been set down as a special fixture in late October, more than two years after the tragic crash near Nowendoc. He said he estimated it would take three weeks.

"At this stage we have engaged an expert," he said.

The court heard the prosecution expected a meteorological report to be finalised in the coming weeks, which would set out wind speed data from different locations.

Barrister Stephen Doupe said the defence was in a similar position.

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Judge Deborah Payne said the special fixture dates were locked in but listed the matter for a further mention in June.

"Just to keep it in a managed way," she said.

The accused was excused from appearing in court at that time and his bail was continued.

The police case is that the Tamworth man was driving a four-wheel-drive on Thunderbolts Way, east of Tamworth, when it crashed into an oncoming sedan on the afternoon of September 26, 2020.

Some details of the case cannot be reported for legal reasons.

The charges the man faces relate to the tragic deaths of a young girl, who was a backseat passenger in the four-wheel-drive, and a woman aged in her 70s, who was the driver of the sedan.

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