The groaning sounds Dr. Peter Dunne made after being deliberately hit by a car were attributed to the babbling of a neighbor. Instead, that man was behind the wheel.
Thomas Hill pleaded guilty on Monday to the death of Dunne, who was struck by a vehicle in the Brisbane suburb of Tarragindi in February 2019.
In the months leading up to the crash, Hill, now 37, had become increasingly angry and aggressive, believing his neighbours were bullying him, gossiping and targeting him, the Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
From October 2018, Hill and his mother slept in their small car, returning to their home in Tarragindi occasionally in the early mornings to avoid contact with neighbours.
The victim and Hill first met several weeks before the incident, when the suspect became angry and agitated toward his mother, said District Attorney Elizabeth Kelso.
Hill noticed Dunne staring at him, while his mother thought the doctor had called her son an “idiot.”
Hill ran at Dunne, pushing him and shouting insults.
Dunne was out for his usual 4am run on February 18 when the Hills drove past in separate cars.
Dr Peter Dunne (right) was deliberately hit by a car driven by Thomas Hill in February 2019
Hill pleaded guilty on Monday to Dunne’s death in Brisbane’s Tarragindi area
Hill’s mother thought Dunne had yelled “idiot or something” before shining his flashlight into her car.
“It appears these actions angered the suspect and prompted him to confront Dr. Dunne,” Kelso said.
Hill made a U-turn, accelerated, reversed and hit the doctor in the calf with the car before driving away.
Medical evidence suggests that Dunne fell and hit his head hard on the road after his foot somehow became caught in the car.
Neighbors initially thought Hill was making noises in the street, but around 5 a.m. they called 911.
Instead, police found Dunne groaning and moaning, conscious but unable to say what was happening.
Dunne was taken to hospital with serious brain injuries, where he died six weeks later.
Police installed a listening device in Hill’s car, which they used to record why he confronted Dunne.
“I can assure you now that if he hadn’t been staring at me so incessantly … I would never have chased him,” he said.
Hill had been mentally ill for years and his behavior escalated before the incident, defense attorney Gregory McGuire told the court.
Neighbors had reported Hill yelling in the street that he was being stalked and that lies were being told about him, McGuire said.
Hill, now 37, became aggressive after he began to think his neighbors were bullying him, gossiping and trying to get to him
Dr Dunne’s family (pictured leaving the courtroom) said they had lived in uncertainty for five years awaiting Hill’s verdict.
Hill has been in custody since April 2019, initially charged with murder, and is undergoing several mental health evaluations.
Judge Michael Copley will sentence Hill on the basis that he intended to cause serious injury to Dunne but had a significantly diminished ability to control himself and knew he should not have committed the act.
Dr Dunne’s daughter Kate said the family had been in limbo for five years.
“How can we accept his death when there is only delay and disappointment?”
According to Lisa McKay, Dr. Dunne’s sister, the consequences of the crime were felt every day.
“This was unnecessary. This was preventable. This was senseless,” she told the court.
“This was an evil act.”
Dr. Dunne was out for a morning run when Hill struck him on the calf with the car before driving away, causing the doctor to fall and land on his head with considerable force
Dunne was remembered by his daughters as a “pillar of strength,” who said they felt robbed of sharing future memories, such as tying the knot or their children meeting their grandfather.
“I really miss my dad,” said daughter Claire Dunne.
Judge Copley will sentence Hill on August 27.
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