Inside the high-flying life of diabetic driver whose car ploughed into Daylesford pub beer garden killing five people: Wealthy real estate tycoon and artist once complained to council about road safety
The man accused of killing five people after his car crashed into a pub pub is a wealthy artist and property magnate who once complained to his local council about road safety.
Diabetic Bill Swale, 66, is accused of ignoring repeated warnings to treat low glucose levels for more than 50 minutes before his car crashed into families outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel on November 5.
It turns out that Swale and his wife Thea have been buying and selling multi-million dollar properties for years.
In November they sold a property called Tower House in Kyneton for around $3 million, and just a few years earlier they sold another property worth more than $3 million called Grayton House in picturesque Woodend, north-west of Melbourne.
Swale appeared on Channel 7 reality show A Moveable Feast in 2017, where he showed off the Grayton property to radio presenter Ross Stevenson and co-presenter Kate Stevenson.
Bill Swale (left) showed off his wealthy lifestyle to Ross Stevenson and co-host Kate Stevenson in 2017.
Bill Swale and his wife bought and sold multi-million dollar real estate. Pictured is Grayton House in picturesque Woodend.
Swale’s Tower House in Kyneton sold for around $3 million this year.
In an article published in the March real estate publication Domain, Swale’s wife boasted that the multimillion-dollar properties they lived in were always temporary.
“As much as I adore living here, the project is complete and I’m a project-oriented person,” she told the publication.
Following the completion of Grayton’s sale, the couple posed in a grainy image with their dog Rupert outside the house.
Swale was a member of the Cobaw Sporting Club, a shooting club in the Macedon Ranges where hunters make escapes similar to those of British lords.
Images on social media show members of the group arriving at the hunt in limousines and posing with dead birds, dressed in the finest British hunting gear.
But now Swale remains behind bars, a far cry from the posh surroundings to which he was accustomed.
He was charged Monday with five counts of driving causing death, two counts of recklessly causing serious injury and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life.
Swale (pictured) was charged with five counts of driving causing death, two counts of recklessly causing serious injury and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life.
Bill Swale is accused of ignoring repeated warnings to treat low glucose levels for more than 50 minutes before the crash. His BMW SUV was captured at the scene.
The Washington News Australia can also reveal Swale and his wife were among a “group” of alleged benefactors who tried to stop construction of a work depot in the Macedon Ranges in 2006 over road safety concerns.
The proposed site on Cronx Lane was located just a stone’s throw away from where the Swales bought Grayton House a few years later.
A report on the proposed development showed the couple were among just over 100 residents who opposed the planned depot.
The report said one of the main concerns for Swale and its neighbors was road safety in the area.
“One of the most important concerns of the submitters was the issue of vehicle and pedestrian safety,” the document states.
“The Commission was disappointed that the Council failed to adequately describe the process it would undertake to ensure that safeguards were paramount in assessing what is in principle an integrated facility combining multiple proposed functions.”
As police continue to investigate road safety issues surrounding a Daylesford beer garden, Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday heard detectives describe what allegedly happened.
Pratibha Sharma, 44, her daughter Anvi, 9, partner Jatin Kumar, 30, their friend Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his son Vihaan, 11, were all killed when Swale’s car crashed into the pub after he developed diabetes.
Bill Swale, his wife Thea and dog Rupert near one of their houses.
Sergeant Peter Romanis told the court that Swale was returning from a skeet tournament in Clunes when he stopped in Daylesford.
The artist, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 1994, tested his blood glucose levels at 5:17 p.m., which showed a low reading, and a minute later an alarm sounded indicating he should check his levels.
CCTV footage showed him walking into a restaurant opposite the pub minutes later and asking for a table, but returning to his car as there were no seats available.
Swale was then spotted on CCTV at 5.42pm driving his car through the area before it crashed into pub patrons at around 6pm.
Mr Romanis described how first responders found the 66-year-old man in his car, sweaty, hot and clammy and unable to communicate effectively.
Bill Swale sits at the head of the table during a banquet at his posh gun club.
Members of Swale’s gun club roam the fields like English lords.
Swale (right) basked in the glory of his successful life in 2017.
Swale’s lawyer Martin Amad said his client frequently monitored his glucose levels and raised the possibility to the whistleblower that Swale was already in the midst of a medical episode after his app alerted him, preventing him from recognizing the alert.
“This is an honest medical episode, whether he knew about it or not,” Mr Amad told the court.
Swale had been approved for a two-year conditional driving license in the months before the crash and a medical report provided to VicRoads said his condition was well controlled.
Ms Swale declined to comment about her husband when contacted by The Washington News Australia on Tuesday.
Swale was remanded in police custody pending a bail hearing on Friday.