A grieving mother has spoken of the “purgatory” her young family had to endure after being forced to wait 20 years for the man responsible for her son’s death to be brought to justice.
Rian Strathdee was six years old and sleeping in the back of her family’s van when a Kenworth truck driven by Allan Michael Dyson crashed into her.
The collision, which took place just after 9.30pm on the Hume Highway south-west of Sydney in November 2004, caused the Subaru to spin and roll down an embankment until it landed on its roof.
Paramedics pronounced Rian dead at the scene, while his father, Laurie Strathdee, and another child in the vehicle were seriously injured.
Dyson fled but was eventually tracked down by police 18 years later when he was arrested in Queensland, where investigators failed to locate him nearly two decades later in October 2022 and extradited him to New South Wales.
After initially denying any involvement, the 61-year-old eventually admitted he was behind the wheel during a criminal trial at Goulburn District Court.
He was found guilty of one count of dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm in August.
Rian’s mother, Jasmine Payget, told a sentencing hearing in the New South Wales District Court on Friday that Dyson’s decision not to stop robbed her family of closure.
“Being in the purgatory we’ve been in could have ended a long time ago,” he said.
Six-year-old Rian Strathdee was killed when a truck driven by Allan Michael Dyson collided with his family sedan, causing the vehicle to leave the road in 2004.
The collision, which took place just after 9.30pm on the Hume Highway southwest of Sydney, caused the car to land on its roof. Rian died tragically at the scene.
Payget said before the accident that she was a happy young mother of two children and was in the middle of reading the Harry Potter books to Rian.
“At the end of the day, my youngest son was dead, my oldest son was seriously injured in hospital and my husband was in another hospital with a broken neck,” Mrs Payget said.
“I was completely devastated, in shock and disbelief.”
Payget described the murder crimes as “particularly cruel” for the victims, saying they had added layers to his family’s anguish.
“The collision made it impossible to get any idea of what happened,” Mrs Payget told the court.
“This ruined our family, because there was always an unfinished part in this terrible story.”
A seven-day trial found Allan Michael Dyson (centre) guilty of one count of dangerous driving occasioning death and two counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay questioned whether Dyson had ever fully accepted responsibility for the accident and assumed the damage it caused.
“The attacker knew he had collided with the Subaru,” Ms Keay said.
“Never mind that it wouldn’t have changed the outcome if Mr Dyson had stopped and helped.
“It’s part of helping the investigation, as well as providing assistance to people who die or are injured and respecting their dignity.”
Defense lawyer Harry Maarraoui said it was accepted the accident was due to more than a moment of inattention on Dyson’s part, but said it was “not far from it”.
During the trial, Dyson’s lawyer had attempted to blame the collision on Mrs. Payget, who was driving the Subaru.
It was suggested that he was driving too slowly and had not properly checked his mirrors before hitting the road, an argument the jury ultimately rejected.
Rian Strathdee was asleep in the back seat of his family’s van when the tragedy occurred.
Payget told jurors he felt the car “fill with light” moments before impact and simultaneously heard the sound of a truck horn.
Rian’s father told the court he heard a crash and a bang before feeling the car fly through the air.
The couple passed out and woke up to find themselves hanging upside down in the vehicle.
Another witness who was driving nearby and listening to his UHF radio heard someone with a strong Australian accent say, “I’ve fixed the Subaru.” Now they are in the paddock.’
Prosecutors argued that the man speaking was Dyson, a claim he denied.
Judge Ross Hudson is due to hand down his sentence on November 22.
