source : the age
The alleged driver behind the wheel of a hit-and-run clash that claimed the life of a cyclist in Bibra Lake on Tuesday morning has been identified as Craig Daniel Strawbridge.
Joseph Paratore, 40, was riding his bike on North Lake Road around 5.20am when he was fatally struck by a white Toyota Prado, which failed to stop at the scene.
Following a two-day search, Strawbridge, 40, was arrested at his Yangebup home on Wednesday evening, and his vehicle was seized.
The forklift driver was charged with failing to stop and ensure assistance after an incident occasioning death, and failing to report an incident to police.
He appeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court on Thursday morning with a private lawyer who asked for an adjournment to next month.
Strawbridge did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until the hearing.
On Wednesday police said the vehicle that hit Paratore could be seen on CCTV footage travelling at high speed at the time of the crash.
They had identified the car involved allegedly to be a white Toyota Prado based on part of a broken wing mirror that was found at the scene.
Paratore was the general manager of Hope Valley business, Southern Steel WA, and the father of two young children.
“He was always there for his people; always leaned in; would go the extra mile daily to make sure people were ok. A man who loved his family, particularly his children,” a friend said.
He was a regular participant in the Maca 200 Ride for Perkins, raising funds for cancer research.
Strawbridge will be back in court on November 16.
