Parents of accused rider in fatal crash have ‘absolutely no control’ over him, court told

The parents of a 17-year-old boy who allegedly crashed an off-road electric motorbike into a pedestrian in Perth’s north on Saturday afternoon, killing the 59-year-old nurse, have been struggling to control him for years, a court has heard.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, appeared in Perth Children’s Court on Tuesday morning via video link from Banksia Hill Detention Centre.

His lawyer, Simon Watters, made a bid to Magistrate Alana Padmanabham to have the boy released on bail, but prosecutors told the court there were concerns he would reoffend and his father had told police he “had absolutely no control over his behaviour”.

The teen, who lives with his father in the northern Perth suburb of Currambine, was arrested on Sunday and charged with manslaughter after the 59-year-old woman was allegedly struck by him while walking near Edgewater Drive on Saturday afternoon.

Police alleged the off-road electric motorbike was unregistered and “travelling erratically” when the crash happened.

The woman, a nurse who was originally from New Zealand, was taken to Joondalup Health Campus where she later died.

The teenager was charged with manslaughter, no authority to drive and using an unlicensed vehicle on a road.

The boy, whom the court heard has been diagnosed with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, lives between his father, predominantly, and his mother and teenage brother in Toodyay.

The court was told police had been called multiple times to his home after his behaviour turned violent, but the boy had never been convicted of a crime.