The drug-riddled truck driver who killed four Victorian Police officers in a horrific crash a year ago will serve just 18 years behind bars.
48-year-old Mohinder Singh stood motionless in the Victorian Supreme Court as Justice Paul Coghlan declared he must serve a minimum, non-parole period of 18 years and six months for four counts of culpable driving causing death after he crashed into the emergency lane of the Eastern Freeway on April 22 last year, killing the officers.
Singh’s sentence also took into account three further counts of drug trafficking and one count of possessing a drug of dependence.
The convicted killer, who was high on ice and sleep-deprived on the day of the crash, had claimed he saw a witch on the road before he ploughed the 20-tonne vehicle into the four officers as they carried out a traffic stop.
Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney all died at the scene.
In sentencing Singh, Justice Coghlan said, “I have watched the footage on a number of occasions — it is chilling,”
“The police officers had no hope.”
He said Singh was “selfish” for driving when he was clearly “unfit” to be on the road.
“It has been put that the threat to you was that you might lose your job,” Justice Coghlan said.
“You were simply unfit to do the job and had little legitimate claim to keep your position. In the sense you drove to keep your job, that decision was selfish.”
The court heard that in the three days prior to the horrific collision, Singh had just “five hours of rest”.
