On a routine drive home, Shaun Baensch found himself at a critical crossroads, as jealousy clouded his judgment. His girlfriend’s warning, “don’t be an idiot, just keep driving,” went unheeded as he pursued a man on an e-scooter.

Recently released from prison for armed robbery, Baensch was simmering with suspicion after hearing rumors about a potential relationship between his girlfriend and Bryce Trower.

On the night of December 11, 2023, that suspicion boiled over into a fatal act of rage. Baensch deliberately collided with Trower, who was riding a Segway Ninebot e-scooter. The violent impact sent Trower crashing into the ute’s windscreen before being hurled seven meters into the air.

Trower’s lifeless body landed on the pavement of Forster Street, in the Geelong suburb of Norlane. Despite the desperate attempts of nearby residents to save him, the 31-year-old succumbed to his injuries on the scene.

In an appalling act of indifference, Baensch sped away, leaving Trower to die on the cold asphalt, a grievous conclusion to an evening marred by jealousy and violence.

Baensch avoided apprehension for the killing for several months after taking what a judge today labelled as “calculated steps” to conceal his involvement.

This included removing parts of the ute the day after and then getting a friend to store the vehicle at their home.

He also lied to police, claiming Trower had fallen in front of his vehicle, and at one point joked to an associate about having “done a Bryce” when he fell off a scooter.

“All this behaviour post the offence must be seen as having been motivated by self-preservation,” Supreme Court Justice Peter Kidd told Baensch as he sentenced him.

“It showed complete disregard for Mr Trower’s welfare.”

Baensch, who last year pleaded guilty to manslaughter and failure to stop over the fatal hit-and-run, was arrested over Trower’s death in May 2024.

He claimed he had intended to knock Trower off the scooter, but not kill him, after being “driven crazy” by rumours about him and his girlfriend.

“I was just trying to nudge him, and I didn’t go to plan,” he told police.

Justice Kidd found Baensch’s manslaughter was a very serious example of the offence as it was not an accident and he had deliberately hit Trower.

“Collisions involving motor vehicles and pedestrians, or riders, are often referred to as accidents, the collision with Mr Trower was no accident,” he said.

“Your unlawful act, deliberately striking Mr Trower with your motor vehicle, was an extremely dangerous act.”

He sentenced Baensch to a maximum of 10 years and six months in prison, and ordered he spend seven years behind bars before he will be eligible for parole.

Baensch has already served one year and eight months of his sentence.

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