By Sarah McPhee
A Sydney driver speeding and darting through traffic on the Anzac Bridge before he crashed into two people who had stopped after a minor collision has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing death.
Adeeb Sukkar, 43, faced trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court after pleading not guilty to the charges relating to Amy Lim, 25, and Hongyi Zhang, 38, who were struck shortly before midnight on December 2, 2022.
Adeeb Sukkar, left, has been found guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of two people, including Amy Lim, on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge in 2022.Credit: James Brickwood; Supplied
Lim and Zhang had each been driving towards the city in slow-moving traffic when Lim’s blue Toyota Camry bumped into the rear of Zhang’s white Holden Captiva. The pair got out and stood between their vehicles in lane three to exchange details, including taking photographs and videos of the damage.
Five minutes and 40 seconds later, Sukkar slammed into the back of Lim’s stationary Camry, which hit Lim and Zhang, Zhang’s car and a passing taxi. Lim and Zhang died at the scene.
On Wednesday morning, the jury of six men and six women retired to consider their verdicts, and they soon returned verdicts of guilty to both counts.
In a closing address on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman said Sukkar was “not only driving at excessive speed” but was accelerating through slow traffic on a busy road and weaving in and out of the lanes.
The prosecutor alleged Sukkar passed at least two vehicles with their brake lights on, and instead of slowing down behind a van in lane two, which was also braking, merged into lane three “in a rushed and unsafe way” while “not knowing what obstructions were ahead”.
Emergency services attended the scene of the Anzac Bridge crash.Credit: Nine News
“When multiple vehicles brake, you brake,” she said.
“The accused has placed the other people in that vicinity at significant risk.”
She said other drivers had seen the stationary cars from up to 200 metres away, including the flashing hazard lights on Lim’s Camry, and were able to “easily and safely manoeuvre around” the scene to avoid a collision.
Steedman said Sukkar agreed he was driving his silver Holden Commodore not less than 89km/h while 150 metres from the stationary motorists. She said he was still driving at 79km/h on the 60 km/h road 2.5 seconds before the fatal crash.
Prosecutors accepted Sukkar did not see Lim and Zhang’s cars until he merged into the lane 60 metres earlier.
“He was speeding and could do little but to slam into the back of those stationary vehicles in the position that he put himself in,” Steedman said.
“You will have no trouble in finding that the manner of driving was dangerous.”
Sukkar was recorded on police video in shock, stating: “Where did those two people come from?” He also said he was on his way to the Crown casino.
Defence barrister Greg Stanton told the jury that “no human being could not be touched by the circumstances of the case”, which had resulted in the deaths of Lim and Zhang.
He said the critical feature was what happened from the 60-metre point when Sukkar merged into lane three, as he had been coming from behind a van and “didn’t see them”.
“Although he’s at speed, he takes action, he attempts to swerve, and he brakes”, Stanton said. “We know it was unsuccessful.”
He said there were aspects of Sukkar’s driving the jury may think were not “within the bounds of the law” but argued the “greater majority of those circumstances” presented “well before the impact”.
Stanton said the Anzac Bridge is one of Sydney’s busiest thoroughfares and noted signs advising motorists to wait within their vehicles if there is a breakdown.
“If you emerge from your vehicle, you are creating an unexpected and unacceptable danger to other road users,” he said. “I’m not shifting blame in this case to these unfortunate victims in the sense it’s their fault.”
He said his client was also not asking for a plea of mercy or compassion but a “rational judgment of the facts”.
Stanton said when Sukkar responded “for the first time to that unobstructed view of what is in front of him”, his driving assumed a “level of prudence and safety and caution” by braking and swerving to try and avoid them.
Sukkar’s conduct did not amount to dangerous driving, the barrister argued.
Relatives of the victims sat in the public gallery during Sukkar’s trial.
Sukkar remains on bail on conditions including a $40,000 security and is not allowed to drive. He will face a sentence hearing on October 24 before Chief Judge Sarah Huggett.
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