Andrew Brien, a 56-year-old auto electrician from Gol Gol, has been granted bail after five and a half days in custody, despite being accused of deliberately driving into two 12-year-old boys in Mildura's Langtree Mall. Community members yelled comments outside the court precinct in protest against the bail decision, highlighting a growing public frustration with a justice system perceived to be failing the people it is meant to protect.
Mr. Brien faces seven charges, including four counts of reckless conduct endangering life, dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury, and driving in a dangerous manner. The Mildura Magistrates' Court heard one boy suffered a concussion and a sore arm after being flung 20 metres onto a street, where a pole landed on him. The other boy required surgery for a collapsed lung, a broken arm, leg, ankle, sternum, and multiple rib fractures.
Police Detective Senior Constable Mitchell Carew told the court Mr. Brien drove across the border from Gol Gol, NSW, to Mildura CBD on August 6, after his partner reported damage at her business. PRD Real Estate Mildura, the business in question, had been burgled on June 26 and June 27, with two vehicles, keys, and cash stolen. The alleged actions of Mr. Brien, a member of the working class whose partner's livelihood was threatened, underscore a societal breakdown where citizens feel compelled to act when institutional protections are seen as inadequate.
CCTV footage shown to the court depicted Mr. Brien's white Ford ute swerving on Langtree Avenue, narrowly missing the boys and the kerbside. He then conducted a U-turn, pursued the bike over a speed bump, and followed the pair into the pedestrian-only Langtree Mall. The vehicle then struck the bike at speed, moments before ramming into a light pole.
Prosecutor Raphael de Vietri alleged Mr. Brien did not apply the brakes or take evasive manoeuvres before his car struck the boys, traveling at approximately 79.2 kilometres per hour. CCTV captured Mr. Brien stepping over a victim trapped under the car without providing assistance. Mr. Brien's phone log showed calls to Triple Zero (000) and then his partner, and he allegedly told police he had run over a pushbike after stating he had taken a wrong turn, saying: "They pulled out in front of me. It's dark."
Systemic Failures Exposed
Prosecutor de Vietri condemned the incident, stating, "This incident in its totality is unacceptable," and adding, "The actions are grossly unjustified." He called it "horrific offending, to use one's vehicle as a weapon against two 12-year-old children," and suggested the link to previous attacks on PRD Real Estate gave "flavour of a deliberate, intentional, controlled act." He concluded, "He was deadset on mowing those two children down."
Defence lawyer Paul Smallwood acknowledged Mr. Brien drove in an "outrageous fashion" and that the matter was extremely serious. However, he argued the burglaries at PRD were relevant to the circumstances, though not a justification for his client's actions. Mr. Smallwood presented Mr. Brien as suitable for bail due to no prior convictions and his first time in custody.
Magistrate Patrick Southey granted bail, noting Mr. Brien's clean record and lack of flight risk. His decision was largely influenced by the prospect of a lengthy delay in the court matter, with a trial unlikely to occur until 2028. This protracted timeline highlights the systemic inefficiencies that often leave communities feeling abandoned by the very institutions meant to deliver swift justice.
The Cost to the People
Magistrate Southey also commented, "It's outrageous, some of the commentary about the boys, who are completely blameless," indicating a disturbing erosion of public discourse surrounding such incidents. Mr. Brien was granted bail on conditions that he not drive a car and abide by a 9pm curfew. He will reappear before court for a committal mention later this year, on December 2. The public outcry following the bail decision underscores a profound distrust in a system that appears to prioritize procedural delays over the immediate safety and justice concerns of the native population.