Poker champ apologises for fatal accident
A former poker champion who fatally struck an Uber Eats delivery cyclist has made a tearful apology in a Sydney court, saying he thinks about his victim every day.
Warwick Mirzikinian has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning the death of Julien Trameaux during an accident at Double Bay in November 2017.
Mirzikinian addressed his sentence hearing in the Downing Centre District Court on Friday, telling told Judge Chris O'Brien of his "intense grief and sorrow" for the accident which killed the 24-year-old French national.
Mr Trameaux was killed when Mirzikinian's Tesla pulled out from behind a bus on New South Head Road and collided with his bicycle.
The court heard that in the moments prior to the accident, Mirzikinian was blinded by the sun beaming directly into his eyes and he initially thought his vehicle had been struck by the bus.
It was only when he got out of the car he realised he had hit Mr Trameaux.
"Being a father of six children, I can't even begin to understand the tremendous pain and suffering that the victim's family has felt," Mirzikinian told the court.
"Any hurt and pain that I have felt is nothing compared to what they have felt and will continue to go through.
"There is nothing I can say or do to take back my actions on the day, even though I have prayed that it was possible. I am sorry."
"I can sincerely say that there has not been a single day that has passed over the last two-and-a-half years that I have not thought about Julien and what I did on that day."
Mirzikinian's barrister, Mark Tedeschi QC, told the court his client's actions were on the "very lowest level" of offending of its kind and he should be spared jail and sentenced to a community corrections order.
Mr Tedeschi said there were several factors which led to Mr Trameaux's death, only one of which was Mirzikinian's fault.
Describing it as an "exceptional case", he said Mirzikinian's only wrongdoing was changing lanes without checking that the road ahead was clear, also pointing out he was going below the speed limit.
He said the fact Mr Trameaux was wearing earphones and a backpack containing food and that Mirzikinian had driven a car which made little noise were also factors in the accident.
"This accident would not have happened if not for the combination of factors, one of which the offender is responsible for," Mr Tedeschi said.
"We submit this case is quite different to the usual dangerous driving case.
"It's this which makes this case one of those exceptional cases in which a non-custodial sentence is appropriate."
The matter will return to court on July 10, when Judge O'Brien will hear prosecution submissions before Mirzikinian is sentenced at a later date.
Originally published as Poker champ apologises for fatal accident
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