In short:
Nathaniel Jackman has pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to a ute rollover in the Midwest which killed a baby and two women in 2024.
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which → plead → 2024
His defence lawyer said Jackman had been forced to drive, despite not holding a licence.
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Jackman → say → licence
A last-minute guilty plea by the man behind the wheel has halted a trial over a ute rollover that killed a baby and two women in Western Australia's remote Midwest.
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that → halt → Midwest
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains the names and images of people who have died.
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who → contain → people
Nathaniel Jackman was driving a Toyota Hilux, with five passengers on board, when it rolled on the Geraldton-Mt Magnet Road near Yalgoo, about 500 kilometres north of Perth, just before 11pm on August 10, 2024.
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it → drive → August
A weeks-old baby, Levi Ashwin, died at the scene from multiple injuries including skull and rib fractures, along with Gabrielle Brockman, 21, who suffered a head injury.
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who → die → injury
Levi's mother, 33-year-old Marrika Brockman, later died in hospital from a head injury.
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mother → die → injury
Jackman, 24, had been due to face trial in the Geraldton District Court on Monday, but pleaded guilty to three counts of dangerous driving causing death, and two of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
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Jackman → face → harm
The court heard Levi's father, Dwayne Ashwin, and another passenger, Jeffrey Incich, were seriously injured and would have died without medical intervention.
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father → hear → intervention
Prosecutors said Mr Incich was permanently disabled as a result, and now requires 24 hour support.
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Incich → say → support
There was no infant car seat and the passengers were not wearing seatbelts.
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passengers → be → seatbelts
No licence, drugs taken
The court heard the ute had travelled on the wrong side of the road and onto the verge for 70 metres before Jackman adjusted the wheel.
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Jackman → take → wheel
Prosecutors said Jackman had never held a licence, was driving tired and had too many passengers in the car at the time of the crash.
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Jackman → say → crash
Police said blood pooling indicated four passengers were ejected at the start of the rollover.
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passengers → say → rollover
A blood sample taken from Jackman tested positive for THC at the time of the crash, with the levels suggesting the then-22-year-old smoked cannabis the same afternoon.
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old → take → cannabis
'Forced' to drive, says lawyer
Defence lawyer George Guidice said Jackman had been forced to drive, despite saying he could not.
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he → force → ?
Mr Guidice said the group had travelled from Kalgoorlie to Meekatharra the day before the crash for a funeral.
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group → say → funeral
He said there had been arguments after the funeral, with some of the group keen to stay another night, and others wanting to drive onward to Geraldton.
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others → say → Geraldton
Mr Guidice said Dwayne Ashwin drove around 230 kilometres, past Mount Magnet, before telling Jackman to take over.
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Ashwin → say → Jackman
He said Jackman refused, but Mr Ashwin was "very forceful and insisted", adding that he become angry and started swearing.
Mr Guidice said Jackman then got behind the wheel as he "felt obligated" and that "he had a duty" to drive, despite never holding more than a learner's permit which had expired in 2022.
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which → say → 2022
He said Jackman fell asleep while travelling at around 90 kilometres per hour.
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Jackman → say → hour
"He woke up and he tried to steer the car onto the road," Mr Guidice said.
"
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Guidice → wake → road
He says he's very sorry for ever getting in the driver's seat … and accepts he should have never got in the driver's seat."
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he → say → seat
Mr Guidice said that Jackman was sorry for the pain he had caused the family of the three deceased.
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he → say → three
He requested a pre-sentence psychological report, which the court heard could take 16 weeks.
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court → request → weeks
Jackman's bail was extended with a $5,000 personal undertaking, a $2,500 surety, and conditions including reporting to police twice a week and providing urine samples.
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bail → extend → samples
He is due to appear before the District Court in Geraldton next February.
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He → appear → Geraldton
The Aporia