Horrifying dashcam footage captures doctor’s reckless behaviour moments before fatal crashEmma KirkNewsWireTue, 24 February 2026 4:08PM
Horrifying dashcam footage shows an obstetrician driving his high-powered Jaguar like an “unguided missile” through Perth’s swanky western suburbs before a fatal crash that killed a young woman and seriously injured her Uber driver.
Rhys Bellinge, 46, was behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a Honda Jazz rideshare vehicle on February 15, 2025.
Elizabeth Pearce, 24, was killed in the collision on Birdwood Parade in Dalkeith while Mohammad Usman, 25, was seriously injured.
Bellinge pleaded guilty in the WA Supreme Court to manslaughter and dangerous driving under the influence of alcohol.
He also admitted to reckless and dangerous driving related to another incident that was captured on his dashcam days earlier on February 9, 2025.
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Bellinge was heard screaming obscenities directed at his estranged wife while inside his Jaguar that he momentarily parked outside their former marital home in Nedlands.
The court was told Bellinge and his wife had separated about one month before the crash and he had been experiencing depressive episodes.
The dashcam captured Bellinge driving up to 60km/h above the speed limit moments before the crash and yelling “I hate you,” “F**k you, piece of s**t, that is my house you b***h”, “You are robbing me, f**k you” and “You are nothing to me, you mean nothing to me.”
The court was told Bellinge was travelling about 130km/hr in a 50km/h zone when he failed to negotiate a turn, struck a kerb and lost control then slammed into the Honda.
Prosecutor Justin Whalley said Bellinge hit the car at 116km/hr, killing Ms Pearce — who was unresponsive at the scene — and seriously injuring Mr Usman.
Bellinge recorded a roadside blood alcohol reading of 0.183 per cent.
“A post-mortem established (Ms Pearce’s) cause of death was multiple injuries,” Mr Whalley said.
“Mr Usman received multiple injuries, including a left open femur involving his knee joint, a right complex femur fracture, and forearm fracture.
“He spent two months in hospital, initially at Royal Perth Hospital, then was transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital for rehabilitation.”
Bellinge was interviewed by police the day after the fatality and told officers he had driven past his marital home which caused his aggressive response.
The court heard Bellinge told officers that his “emotions went bananas” and he became angry after driving past his former home.
He told police he drove there to see his children but could not bring himself to go inside and that his vision was impaired from tears because he had been crying.
Police found a bottle of rum in his car, which Bellinge told officers he bought the day before.
He said he could remember hitting the kerb and swerving, but could not remember anything after that.
“The level of extreme danger to other road users … that level of risk and danger was so high that death an injury was almost inevitable,” Mr Whalley told the court.
“He was speeding over 130km/h while intoxicated, he was incapable of controlling a vehicle.
“The high-powered car was being driven like an unguided missile that was going to cause death or injury to someone, it was just a matter of where.”
Bellinge’s lawyer David Grace said his client’s actions were a reflection of a mental crisis he was suffering.
He said Bellinge was remorseful for his actions and he would carry the burden for the rest of his life.
Mr Grace told the court Bellinge had been behaving recklessly for about two weeks before the crash, which was at odds with his normal character.
He argued Bellinge had been prescribed medication to deal with his depressive state that had altered his state of mind and behaviour.
“But he didn’t understand it was from that,” he said.
“He was doing the best he could at work, and doing the best for his patients but he knew his concentration was suffering.
“What was happening was a cascading serious of events that were exacerbated by his actions, and of course his intoxication, which can only be explained by the dashcam found in his car after the accident.
“It indicates that probably at the time in the driveway of his father’s house before going to marital home, that he was swigging from the rum bottle in the driveway.”
Bellinge will be sentenced in the WA Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Originally published as Horrifying dashcam footage captures doctor’s reckless behaviour moments before fatal crash
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