Crash on the Eastern Freeway: Trucking company Connect Logistics fined $2 million

The boss of a transport company involved in the tragic roadside deaths of four Victorian police officers was aware of workplace safety breaches but thought they had been resolved, a court has heard.

Connect Logistics and Corey Matthews pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges brought by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator relating to failure to properly monitor driver fatigue and drug and alcohol use.

Mohinder Singh was high on methamphetamine and sleep-deprived when his semi-trailer crashed into officers who had stopped a speeding Porsche driven by Richard Pusey on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in April 2020.

Singh has been behind bars for more than 18 years for his role in the crash.

On Friday, in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court, Matthews was personally fined $22,500, while the now-defunct Connect Logistics was ordered to pay a total of $2,310,000.

Both sentences are less than half of what the court could have imposed.

As head of the Sydney-based company, Matthews admitted he had failed to exercise due diligence in ensuring compliance by his drivers.

At the time of the accident, Connect had a lucrative contract with poultry supplier Inghams to supply chickens to KFCs and supermarkets in metro Melbourne, and to transport slaughtered animals to processing plants.

NHVR prosecutor Jennifer Single told the court that Inghams had raised concerns about the hours drivers were working in the months before the crash, believing they were exceeding the legal limit of 12 hours a day.

Four months before the crash, Inghams filed a formal matter regarding Melbourne supervisor and driver Simiona Tuteru, who repeatedly worked between 18 and 20 hours a day.

Mohinder Singh (pictured) was high on methamphetamine and sleep deprived when his semi-trailer rammed into officers who had stopped a speeding Porsche driven by Richard Pusey on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in April 2020.

Matthews was made aware of the issue and sent national executives Cris Large and Shane Chalmers to Victoria to deal with the matter, the court was told.

After the intervention, Tuteru continued to work longer hours, but instead of putting the performance sheets in his own name, he started putting them in the names of other drivers, the court was told.

Connect and Matthews attorney Trish McDonald said while Large and Chalmers were allegedly aware of the falsified timesheets, Matthews did not and believed the problem had been resolved.

“He should have gone back to check everything was OK,” Ms McDonald told the court.

“He failed to conduct due diligence to ensure the company met its obligations.”

In the photo, emergency services are present at the scene of the accident in April 2020

Magistrate John Arms questioned how much not knowing about the offenses worked in Matthews’ favor as he was ultimately responsible.

‘Are you suggesting to me that every director puts his hands over his ears and eyes and takes no responsibility?’ he asked.

“He knew there was a problem, he accepted the word of someone who was in the problem, and did nothing else.”

The officers killed in the 2020 crash were lead Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Josh Prestney.

Const Prestney’s mother Belinda, who traveled from Victoria for the hearing, told the court that police officers, like her son, put themselves in dangerous situations to protect others.

“No one should have to worry about them or their loved one not getting home from work,” Ms Prestney said.

‘Nothing is more important or valuable than a human life. Once it’s gone, there’s no getting it back.”