The father of the teenage cyclist who was hit by an SUV driven by Daniel Andrews’ wife has called for the case to be reopened following a bombshell new report that claimed police covered up the real circumstances of the crash.
Peter Meuleman, the father of Ryan Meuleman, said the new report sheds ‘a whole new light on what happened’ to his then 15-year-old son back in 2013.
Mr Andrews was state Labor and opposition leader when the SUV he, his wife and their three children were travelling in hit the teenage cyclist near Blairgowrie, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, on January 7, 2013.
The review by former police assistant commissioner Dr Raymond Shuey, who was commissioned by Meulemans’ lawyers, found the Andrews’ crash was covered up ‘to avoid implicating a political figure’.
Mr Meuleman said Dr Shuey’s report ‘contravenes the police report of what happened and contravenes Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ version of events’.
‘We are hoping Victoria Police will reopen the case and re-investigate the case thoroughly,’ he told Melbourne radio station 3AW on Tuesday.
‘The report really does contradict a lot of what is in the original police report. We do not believe the initial police investigation was thorough at all.’
Although Mr Meuleman said a ‘lot of old wounds have mostly healed’ in the 13 years since the crash, the family felt at the time they ‘did not really get justice’.
Peter Meuleman (pictured in July) wants the investigation of the 2013 accident involving his son Ryan and Dan Andrews’ family reopened following a bombshell new report
‘We were dealt a bad hand,’ Mr Meuleman said.
‘With the new evidence and the new witnesses and the new reports we feel that we can get a bit more justice out of it.’
Mr Meuleman said Dr Shuey’s conclusions – that the SUV struck the teen after ‘travelling at speed’ and on the wrong side of the road – ‘aligned more with Ryan’s injuries’ and also a report by Victoria’s Traffic Accident Commission (TAC).
Following the accident Ryan was airlifted to The Royal Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding.
Mr Meuleman said Ryan lost 90 per cent of his spleen but while many of the other injuries had healed the most ‘devastating and long-lasting effect’ of the crash has been the ‘mental trauma’.
‘We are just tying to protect him (Ryan) and trying to help him get on with his life and lead as normal a life as he possibly can,’ he said.
Mr Andrews has always insisted his wife came to a ‘complete stop’ and ‘turned right from a stationary position’ moments before the teenager T-boned the Ford Territory.
Police closed the case without pressing charges, and officers were later cleared of any wrongdoing by the corruption watchdog over failing to breath test the driver.
Ryan was 15-years-old and riding his bike in Blairgowrie on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula when he was struck by the Andrews’ SUV on January 7, 2013
In his 36-page assessment of the investigation Dr Shuey found the evidence did not back Mr and Ms Andrews’ account of what happened.
‘The statements from both Daniel and Catherine Andrews that their vehicle stopped at Melbourne Rd are not consistent with impact consequences, nor the report by (witness) Brad Morgan of the squeal of tyres prior to impact,’ Dr Shuey wrote.
‘The effective vehicle stopping distance of 19.2m following impact is indicative of a speed of 45km/h prior to impact.
‘The version as provided by Catherine and Daniel Andrews is considered improbable and implausible. The truth is still outstanding.
‘It is most probable that the vehicle undertook a sweep turn at speed, cutting the corner and still on the incorrect side of the roadway in Ridley Street, 27 metres from Melbourne Road when the collision occurred.’
The report, commissioned as part of ongoing Supreme Court damages proceedings into the crash, found the ‘propagation of a lie’ started when police recorded the driver’s name.
In a Traffic Incident System (TIS) report made by police hours after the crash recorded the driver’s name as ‘Catherine Louie Kesik’ – Mrs Andrews’ maiden name.
The report found the name was contrary to that recorded in the investigation notes, TAC reports statements and ‘contemporaneous notes’ made by police.
Andrews’ Ford Territory car after the crash with Ryan Meuleman. Police reported Mrs Andrews as being behind the wheel at the time of the accident
It asserted that the ‘irregularity’ with Mrs Andrews’ name would be a ‘standout’ for supervisors, insurance, and legal reviewers.
‘It is my opinion that this deception is part of a course of conduct and a component of an overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a life-threatening crash,’ Dr Shuey wrote.
‘Failure by supervisors and reviewers to identify this or seek explanation is inexcusable.’
Dr Shuey added that Victoria Police did not show a competent professional practice as they failed to follow a ‘rudimentary examination’ of evidence in the investigation, which was demonstrated in their ‘hasty and illogical conclusion’.
The review explained the police report lacked critical information including photographs, measurements and professional interview techniques.
Dr Shuey said investigators failed to account for the available evidence and labelled their conclusion as ‘baseless and unsupported’.
He added the ‘negligent approach’ undermined the integrity of the investigation and also jeopardised the ‘pursuit of justice’.
Police also repeatedly refused to provide Mr Meuleman’s family with details of the driver, despite it being the duty of police to do so.
Dr Shuey claimed the decision to not provide the family with the driver’s details was ‘designed to conceal the identity of those involved’.
The report also questioned why Mr Andrews decided to drive away with a smashed windscreen.
A bombshell review asserts asserts the investigation of Daniel and Catherine Andrews’ crash with the teen cyclist was covered up ‘to avoid implicating a political figure’
‘If police, it is a dereliction of duty, if Daniel Andrews, it is the removal of evidence and in any event dangerous/careless driving at a minimum,’ the report stated.
But they later changed the documents to state that no test was given, citing that Mrs Andrews ‘did not smell of intoxicating liquor’.
The review concludes that another significant oversight was the police’s failure to verify the identity of the driver of the government vehicle involved in the crash.
‘Witness Jane Crittenden states she viewed Catherine Andrews in the passenger seat after the crash,’ it asserts.
‘In my opinion, this investigative failure is a deliberate omission. It … leaves the question of who was driving unresolved and in dispute,’ the review says.
The Shuey review was based on analysis of FOI documents, witness statements and his own reconstruction of the incident.
Dr Shuey died in August, just days after completing the report, following a health battle linked to Agent Orange from the Vietnam War.
A now-adult Mr Meuleman is suing law firm Slater & Gordon, which represented him after the crash, for allegedly failing to act in his best interest when it negotiated an $80,000 compensation settlement with the Transport Accident Commission.
Slater & Gordon denies the claims and will defend the proceedings. The trial is scheduled for May, 2025.
In July, Mr and Mrs Andrews’ were forced to hand over their phone and credit card details from the day of the crash following a Supreme Court Order.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest any wrongdoing by Mr or Mrs Andrews.
Victoria Police have told Daily Mail Australia a ‘thorough investigation’ was conducted and its findings were consistent.
‘As has been previously stated, Victoria Police conducted a thorough investigation into this matter, as did IBAC, and all findings were consistent,’ Victoria Police said.
‘We have no further comment to provide on the matter.’
Daily Mail have sought further comment from Victoria Police.
