<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>331548</docID> <postdate>2024-10-22 11:01:23</postdate> <headline>Teen driver spared jail over death of top cop’s son</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-331549" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241022167797700069-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="601" /></p> <caption>Dhirren Randhawa has avoided going to jail over a hit-run crash that caused Charlie Stevens' death. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Abe Maddison</strong> in Adelaide</span></p> <p><strong>The young driver who fatally struck South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens' son Charlie has avoided going to jail over the hit-run tragedy during Schoolies week.</strong></p> <p>Dhirren Singh Randhawa, 19, from Encounter Bay, was sentenced on Tuesday in the SA District Court to one year, one month and seven days in jail, with a non-parole period of seven months – suspended on condition he's of good behaviour for two years.</p> <p>He has also been banned from driving for 10 years.</p> <p>He had pleaded guilty to aggravated driving without due care and leaving the scene of a crash at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide, on November 17.</p> <p>The circumstances of the tragedy were revealed during sentencing submissions.</p> <p>Charlie Stevens, 18, and three friends were celebrating Schoolies at a Goolwa Beach shack owned by his family, the court was told.</p> <p>They had flagged down Randhawa at 9pm to ask for a ride to Victor Harbor but he declined, explaining that he did not want to risk demerit points on his P-plates.</p> <p>He performed a U-turn and struck Mr Stevens, causing irreversible brain damage. He died at Flinders Medical Centre the next day.</p> <p>Randhawa drove away in "shock and disbelief" but stopped when he saw a police car and told them what happened.</p> <p>In court on October 3, Randhawa addressed Mr Stevens' family, telling them that learning Charlie's life support had been switched off "was the most difficult thing I've heard in my life".</p> <p>"To Charlie's mum and dad, seeing you on TV, talking about Charlie brought out deep sadness within me," he said.</p> <p>"There's so much I'd like to say, but mostly I want to say I'm sorry. And I'm sorry Charlie."</p> <p>In his victim statement, Grant Stevens told Randhawa he could "not possibly understand what you have taken from us".</p> <p>"There is not a day when we don't shed a tear thinking about our son and how much we miss him," Mr Stevens said in court, with his wife, Emma, by his side.</p> <p>"Charlie was a vibrant, caring, fun loving, generous young man with a love of life and plans for the future. Now all we have are the memories of him and that is not enough."</p> </body>