Paul Stuart Meadowcroft released on bail after allegedly running down cyclist Steve Zimmermann

A Spalding man accused of deliberately running down a cyclist in a road-rage fury which a magistrate has put down to a violent “brain snap” has been released on bail. Paul Stuart Meadowcroft won his bid for freedom in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court this morning, despite Magistrate Chris Miocevich conceding the prosecution had an “extremely strong case”. “If you are convicted it seems to me a term of immediate imprisonment is inevitable,” he said, before admitting the accused was innocent until proven guilty. In the hopes of alleviating the potential risk Mr Meadowcroft might pose to the community, the 50-year-old was granted bail on the condition he refrain from getting behind the wheel until at least his next court date on July 1. “I am going to take his license off him for the moment, with the condition he not drive,” Mr Miocevich said. A protective bail condition preventing Mr Meadowcroft from contacting his alleged victim, Steve Zimmermann, was also put into place. Mr Miocevich told the court the restriction should not be difficult for the accused to abide by because, “from what I understand, you don’t know him”. German man Mr Zimmermann was critically injured on April 1, when Mr Meadowcroft allegedly drove his Isuzu ute into him on Bayly Street near George Road about 1.30pm. The court was today told Mr Zimmermann had been riding his bicycle near a roundabout when the pair had a “mix up” over which road-user was supposed to let the other pass. After Mr Meadowcroft failed to let Mr Zimmermann cross the road, the latter began yelling after the driver and made several lewd hand gestures, prompting Mr Meadowcroft to do conduct a U-turn and drive back towards the cyclist. Crossing over into the oncoming lane, Mr Meadowcroft then allegedly mounted the kerb, crossed over the gravel verge and ran over Mr Zimmermann. The car came to a crushing halt on top of Mr Meadowcroft, who was pinned underneath the ute and suffered immediate internal injuries including a fractured C6 and C7 vertebrae, damage to his spine and partial paralysis below the neck. The alleged incident was captured on CCTV, and Mr Meadowcroft was arrested the following day after leaving Geraldton without reporting the crash. Appearing by video-link from Casuarina Prison this morning, Mr Meadowcroft was told: “bad luck to you” when his lawyer tried to argue against the confiscation of his client’s driver’s licence. “He’s lost his temper and deliberately driven at someone … my major fear is ‘is this going to happen again?’,” Mr Miocevich said. “The nature of the allegations on its face appears you’ve had a brain snap … and deliberately driven your vehicle at someone causing serious injuries.” Mr Meadowcroft’s lawyer said his client needed to be able to drive to support his three teenage daughters, who he had shared custody of. He also pointed out he was currently unemployed, behind on his mortgage payments and had lived at the same address in Spalding for 20 years, arguing he wasn’t a flight risk. Mr Miocevich said while the accused’s record was both historic and minimal, he had to consider the safety of the community. “He’s not a violent person … this appears to be on its face a brain snap,” he said. “My concern is what’s to stop that from happening again — you resorting to violence from a brain snap?” Mr Meadowcroft is facing a string of serious charges including committing an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm by endangering the life, health or safety of any person; failing to stop and ensure assistance is received after incident occasioning grievous bodily harm; and failing to report an incident occasioning death or grievous bodily harm. He was released on a $20,000 surety and is required to report to the Geraldton Police Station every Monday and Friday.