15 May 2023 , 14:42
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A learner driver who sped through a junction and killed a granddad has pleaded guilty and is now facing jail time.
Alisha Fagan pleaded guilty to speeding through an intersection and failing to give way in June 2022, when she crashed into a car near Sunshine in Melbourne, Australia.
The 22-year-old was on a suspended learner's permit, drunk and travelling more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit when she drove into the side of Sedat Hassan, 69, and killed him.
Fagan had been drinking wine from the bottle with a friend before she took to the wheel.
Once emergency services arrived, she gave police a fake name and tried to pin the blame on four African men.
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"She went on to tell the police four African males were in the car at the time and had fled the scene after the collision. She stated that she had only just met these males," prosecutor Kristie Churchill told the court.
Grandfather Sedat Hassan was killed in the Sunshine West crash (Nine)At the time of the crash, the young woman was already on bail and had around a dozen driving offences, despite not even possessing a license.
She was last year released on bail to undergo rehabilitation.
Emotional statements from the family were heard in court, with one of Hassan's sons saying his father waited for years to become a grandfather.
"As soon as he became one, he only got to hold his grandson three times and be with him until he was four months old," he said.
The 22-year-old was on a suspended learner's permit (Nine)Fagan read a letter of apology to Hassan's family, saying she took full responsibility for causing his death.
She told the court: "I only have myself to blame. At the time of this tragedy, I was a severe alcoholic, had no impulse control, and had no understanding of the consequences.
"I've spent the last nine months improving myself every single day so that this will never, ever happen again.
"Please know that who I was then and who I am now are not the same person."