Vic: Dad refused to call ambulance for three sons, court told

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2007
Vic: Dad refused to call ambulance for three sons, court told

Eds: Note language in 7th par



MELBOURNE, Aug 23 AAP - A father who drove his three young sons to their death in a
dam outside Melbourne on Father's Day twice refused to call an ambulance, a court has
been told.

Robert Farquharson also rejected offers from a passing motorist to jump in the dam
to try to rescue them, the Victorian Supreme Court has heard today.

The 38-year-old has pleaded not guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court to killing Jai,
10, Tyler, seven, and Bailey, two, by driving them into the seven metre-deep dam in Winchelsea,
south-west of Melbourne in September, 2005.

After he drove the boys into the dam he flagged down motorist Shane Atkinson.

Mr Atkinson told the court today he was driving along the Princes Highway toward Geelong
when he saw a man on the side of the road waving his arms around vigorously.

He stopped his car and approached the man, Mr Atkinson said.

"I ran over to him and he was running towards me and I just said what the f*** are
you doing standing on the side of the road - are you trying to kill yourself?" he said.

"He said he wanted to go back to his missus' house so he could tell her that he had
killed his kids.

"He said that he had put his car into a dam and said that he had either had a coughing
fit or he had done the wheel bearing."

Mr Atkinson said he and his passenger Tony McClelland both offered to jump in the dam
and he refused their offers and asked for a cigarette.

"He just said that it was too late, they were already gone."

Farquharson twice refused to call an ambulance, once at the scene and again in the
car on the way back to the house of his estranged wife, Cindy Gambino.

In the car, Mr Atkinson pushed his mobile phone towards Farquharson but he pushed it
away, Mr Atkinson said.

After dropping Farquharson at Ms Gambino's house Mr Atkinson alerted emergency services.

The trial before Justice Cummins continues.

AAP mj/pmu/jm/de

KEYWORD: FARQUHARSON (PIX AVAILABLE)

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