Rhys Bellinge: Charged with driving while intoxicated in Dalkeith fatal crash that killed Elizabeth Pearce

An obstetrician accused of killing a young woman in Dalkeith has been hit with a fresh charge of driving under the influence of alcohol at the time. Rhys Bellinge, 45, was already charged with manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm over the Dalkeith crash that killed 24-year-old Elizabeth Pearce on February 15. Uber driver Muhammed Usman, 25, broke both his legs and his lower arm when Dr Bellinge’s allegedly lost control of his blue Jaguar, causing it to travel on the wrong side of the road at speed before colliding with the rideshare vehicle on Birdwood Parade. A court was told that a preliminary test taken on Dr Bellinge recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.183 — almost four times the legal limit. Dr Bellinge has been charged in recent days with driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Police have already accused Dr Bellinge of reaching speeds of 130km/h before his car struck Mr Usman’s car, a Honda Jazz. The new charge will be heard during his next court appearance on March 19. Dr Bellinge — who hails from one of Perth’s richest families — now faces a total of three charges. He was refused bail last Wednesday and has been on remand at Casuarina Prison. The doctor was secretly transferred to prison from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, where he spent five nights recovering from a spinal injury under police guard. Dr Bellinge, an obstetrician at Concept Obstetrics and Gynaecology, is currently in the maximum-security prison’s critical care unit, which is part of the infirmary. The unit is home to prisoners whose mental state often means they are a risk to themselves. It is expected he will remain there until he no longer requires a back brace. He may then be transferred to Casuarina’s ultra-secure special protection unit — a jail-within-a-jail for inmates who are at risk of being bashed, killed or extorted if they mixed with the general population. The court was told Dr Bellinge was driving from the home of his estranged wife on The Avenue, Nedlands, to the home of his billionaire father on Jutland Parade — a distance of 1.5km — when he hit a kerb and lost control of the car before impact. His lawyer Tony Hager revealed in court his client’s wife had left him in January with the couple’s marriage counselling ending on Valentine’s Day — a day before the crash. Mr Usman was placed in an induced coma at Royal Perth Hospital and was fighting for his life for several days after the collision. The 25-year-old thanked the wider Perth community for their support this week after a GoFundMe to assist his recovery raised $114,200 in less than 24 hours. Among the donors was a prominent motor dealer, who is willing to fly the 25-year-old’s parents out to Australia and has offered the use of a car for when Mr Usman can return to work. “Your generosity has left me speechless and filled with immense gratitude,” he said in a posting to his GoFundMe page. “This morning, I was welcomed with outpouring love and kindness from this amazing community. Your support has not only helped me financially but has also given me the motivation and strength to keep moving forward during this challenging time.” Ms Pearce was studying a master’s degree in marine biology at the University of WA and was set to graduate later this year. A university spokeswoman said Ms Pearce’s family had requested UWA’s Ocean’s Institute set up the Elizabeth Pearce Marine Science Fund in her honour. “Elizabeth loved the ocean and was about to start her research project as part of her Master of Marine Science at UWA,” the spokeswoman told The West Australian. “The fund will be used to support master’s students based in UWA’s Oceans Institute and their affiliated schools and will honour Elizabeth’s passion for marine sciences.” UWA Oceans Institute deputy director professor Nicki Mitchell said the fund would offer financial support to students studying their master’s in fields like marine biology and oceanography. Ms Pearce’s funeral is due to be held on March 6.