Accused Brisbane road rage murderer given bail
An accused murderer has been given bail after he allegedly killed a stranger in a road rage fist-fight on a Brisbane motorway.
The New Zealand citizen has put up a $100,000 guarantee that he will not try to escape the country.
Accused killer Tamate Heke, 36, was described in Brisbane Supreme Court as 'a model citizen' on Thursday.
It is believed Shane Merrigan, 50, had a history of road rage complaints as a professional driver.
After a heated highway meeting, Mr Merrigan is dead and Heke has been charged with murder.
The 50-year-old was allegedly punched and fell into the path of a truck on the Gateway Motorway at Eight Mile Plains two weeks ago.
“It's very tragic on all sides. Obviously you've got two families which are involved in these tragic circumstances,” said Heke's lawyer, Adam Magill.
A sworn statement from Mr Merrigan's former employer, pallet supplier Macrack Australia, said their office received three complaints from members of the public about road incidents involving Mr Merrigan between 2010 and 2012.
Mr Merrigan worked as an installer for Macrack.
The statement from Joanne Glasson of Macrack said that in February 2010 someone complained that Mr Merrigan harassed a woman on the side of the road on a freeway.
The company paid for a defensive driving course for its installers, but more complaints about Mr Merrigan followed - one in March 2011 and another in June 2012.
He was given a formal warning after the 2011 complaint, and a note on his file said he had been counselled and asked to modify his driving.
Heke reportedly told police that Mr Merrigan tailgated him on the Gateway, made rude gestures and pulled off the road ahead of him in the lead-up to the fight.
The court heard the many witnesses to the incident gave conflicting and, at times, graphic accounts.
Justice Roslyn Atkinson said: "While there might be a strong case on manslaughter, there may not be a strong case of murder".
She granted Heke bail under strict conditions, banning him from driving and ordering that he receive treatment for anger management.
Heke has given the court a $100,000 guarantee that he will not flee the country.
"It is just the first step in a long road." said Adam Magill.
Heke's laywer hopes his charge will be downgraded.
"DPP have got to assess it once all of the material is in but I'm assuming that would be a consideration at least," said Mr Magill.
A "good Christmas present” for Mr Heke, while, in another family, four people face Christmas Day without their father.
The case is due to return to court on January 25.
News break – December 17
