Hoon ‘King’ faces jail over massive skids meets…
THE ringleader – or self-described “king” – of South East Skids hoon meets has been sentenced to jail for three months after pleading guilty to five counts of inciting reckless conduct endangering serious injury at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 29 June.
However Marcus Cory Reddecliffe, 25, was released on bail after he lodged an appeal to the County Court.
Reddecliffe was the sole organiser of five meets held in several industrial areas in December 2015 and January 2016.
The hoons and up to 400 spectators assembled and shifted venues regularly in a night at the direction of Reddecliffe by text or by yelling to the crowd, the court heard.
The accused used the pseudonym ‘KING OF SES’ in his text messages, police prosecutor Acting Sergeant Cameron Smithett told the court.
The bowl was circled with spectators without safety barriers between them and the cars which were wildly circling and skidding at high speed – sometimes two cars at a time.
Sometimes spectators wandered into the bowl to film on their phones.
On one occasion a young woman was knocked from her feet and hospitalised after being struck by convicted skids participant Mitchell McCullagh’s veering car at a September meet.
Reddecliffe did not take on the organisation of the events until two months later, but knew of the incident at the time, the court heard.
The nights usually ended in Licola Crescent, Dandenong South, due to its large turnaround bowl and isolation.
There, cars and drivers were captured on camera by Taskforce Regarder police who charged 41 people with offences such as dangerous driving and reckless conduct causing injury.
Many have had their cars forfeited and crushed and some have been jailed – a judicial response that has ceased the skids meets, police have said.
During his police interview, Reddecliffe initially denied several times that he was the organiser, though uttering that he was destined for jail.
He denied he was captured on several grabs of footage, and claimed he forwarded texts of skid meet details rather than initiated them.
On one of his meet nights, he went to his regular Tuesday tennis, he told police. He was in bed at 10pm.
When told of a telephone intercept that recorded Reddecliffe conceding he was the organiser. He said he was part of it but not the “runner” of the meetings.
By the end of the interview he made full admissions. “Thanks for being honest,” informant Acting Detective Sergeant Luke Holmes told him.
Reddecliffe replied: “I’m still f***ed.”
Police intercepted Reddecliffe speaking to Northern Skids organiser Jake Vasilevski on 27 January after two people were killed in a fatal crash off EJ Written Bridge on their way from a meet. Vasilevski was recently put on a community corrections order at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court for organising one of the South East Skids events.
Defence barrister Simon Bright said Reddecliffe, a legal speedway driver who competed twice a month, organised the meets as a social outlet.
“He doesn’t need it to satisfy his urges to drive around like a lunatic.”
Mr Bright said Reddecliffe’s rehabilitative prospects – without going to jail – were improved by recently becoming a father.
Reddecliffe was previously convicted and fined $2500 for reckless conduct involving a police pursuit in 2013.
Magistrate Barry Schulz said Reddecliffe’s professional driving experience should have made him more alert to the dangers.
“He was directing cars in the bowl but when there were fireworks thrown in, thick smoke and up to six people in the midst of the cars, not at one stage (did) he (go to) manage the … pedestrian participants.
Reddecliffe was also given an 18 month community corections order, was ordered to take a safe driving program, to undertake 175 hours of community work and disqualified from driving for two years.
