The man police allege murdered Samantha Murphy has been fined $2,500 over a drunk motorcycle crash following Grand Final celebrations.
Patrick Orren Stephenson, 24, returned before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, pleading guilty to careless driving, driving while intoxicated and driving with MDMA in his system. The court was told Mr Stephenson was riding his motorcycle on October 1, 2023, after attending a Grand Final celebration with friends.
Mr Stephenson with his ALF player father Orren Stephenson. Picture: Supplied/Facebook
He lost control while navigating a bend and crashed, suffering serious injures including a spinal fracture, broken ribs, broken pelvis and lacerated spleen and head trauma spending two weeks in hospital.
The court was told he was located by police and taken to hospital where a blood test showed he was almost three times the legal alcohol limit and had MDMA in his system.
Mr Stephenson now sports a bushy beard. Sketch: NewsWire/ Paul Tyquin
Magistrate Guillaume Bailin fined Mr Stephenson $2,500 and imposed a 28 month licence disqualification.
“It is luck alone that no one else was injured or that you weren’t killed,” he said.
The crash is unrelated to Mr Stephenson’s alleged murder of Samantha Murphy, 51, on February 4 last year.
Ms Murphy vanished after leaving her home for a run on February 4 and has not been located. Picture: Supplied.
He has pleaded not guilty and was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
More to come.