Father of Daniel Andrews accident victim calls for reopening of case after sensational new report

The father of the teenage cyclist hit by an SUV driven by Daniel Andrews' wife has called for the case to be reopened following a new, eye-opening report. It alleged that the police had covered up the true circumstances of the accident.

Peter Meuleman, Ryan Meuleman's father, said the new report sheds “a completely new light on what happened to his then 15-year-old son in 2013.”

Mr Andrews was leader of the state's Labor Party and opposition when the SUV he, his wife and their three children were travelling in struck the teenage cyclist near Blairgowrie on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula on January 7, 2013.

The investigation commissioned by Meulemans' lawyers by former Deputy Police Commissioner Dr. Raymond Shuey found that the Andrews accident was covered up “in order not to incriminate a political figure.”

Mr Meuleman said Dr Shuey's report “contradicts the police report of the incident and the version of events given by Daniel and Catherine Andrews”.

“We hope that Victoria Police will reopen the case and investigate it thoroughly again,” he told Melbourne radio station 3AW on Tuesday.

“The report actually contradicts in many ways what was in the original police report. We do not believe the initial police investigation was thorough at all.”

Although Mr Meuleman said that in the 13 years since the crash “many old wounds have largely healed”, the family felt at the time that “justice had not really been done”.

“We have been dealt a bad hand,” said Mr Meuleman.

“With the new evidence, the new witnesses and the new reports, we believe we can bring a little more justice to this case.”

Mr Meuleman said Dr Shuey's conclusions – that the SUV struck the teenager after driving “at a high rate of speed” and on the wrong side of the road – were “more consistent with Ryan's injuries” and also with a report by the Road Accident Commission of Victoria (TAC).

After the accident, Ryan was flown by helicopter to the Royal Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding.

Mr Meuleman said Ryan had lost 90 per cent of his spleen, but while many of the other injuries had healed, the “most devastating and long-lasting impact” of the accident was the “psychological trauma”.

“We're just trying to protect him (Ryan) and help him move on with his life and live as normal a life as possible,” he said.

Mr Andrews has always insisted that his wife “came to a complete stop” and “turned right from a standing start” shortly before the teenager's side impact with the Ford Territory.

Police dropped the case without filing charges, and the corruption watchdog later cleared officers of any wrongdoing for failing to breath test the driver.

Ryan was 15 years old and riding his bicycle in Blairgowrie on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula when he was struck by the Andrews' SUV on January 7, 2013.

In his 36-page report, Dr Shuey concluded that the evidence did not support Mr and Mrs Andrews' account of the incident.

“The statements of Daniel and Catherine Andrews that their vehicle stopped on Melbourne Road are inconsistent with the aftermath of the impact, nor with witness Brad Morgan's account of the squealing of the tires prior to impact,” Dr Shuey wrote.

“The vehicle’s effective braking distance of 19.2 m after impact indicates a pre-impact speed of 45 km/h.”

“Catherine and Daniel Andrews' version is considered unlikely and implausible. The truth is still unclear.”

“It is highly likely that the vehicle made a sharp turn at high speed, cut the corner and was still on the wrong side of the road in Ridley Street, 27 metres from Melbourne Road, at the time of the collision.”

The report, commissioned as part of the Supreme Court's ongoing compensation case into the accident, finds that the “spreading of a lie” began when police recorded the driver's name.

In a police Traffic Accident System (TIS) report prepared a few hours after the accident, the driver's name was listed as “Catherine Louie Kesik” – Mrs. Andrews' maiden name.

The report found that the name did not match the name given in the investigation notes, the TAC report statements and the police's “contemporary notes”.

Andrews' Ford Territory after the accident involving Ryan Meuleman. Police reported that Ms. Andrews was behind the wheel at the time of the accident

It claimed that the “irregularity” involving Ms Andrews' name would “cause a stir” for superiors, insurers and legal experts.

“In my opinion, this deception is part of a scheme and part of an outright cover-up to avoid a politician being involved in a life-threatening accident,” Dr. Shuey wrote.

“It is inexcusable that superiors and assessors did not recognize this or look for an explanation.”

Dr Shuey added that Victoria Police had failed to demonstrate a competent professional approach by failing to conduct a “rudimentary examination” of the evidence in their investigation, which was reflected in their “hasty and illogical conclusions”.

The review found that the police report was missing important information, including photographs, measurements and professional interview techniques.

Dr Shuey said investigators failed to consider the available evidence and called their conclusion “unfounded and without merit.”

He added that the “careless approach” undermines the integrity of the investigation and also endangers the “pursuit of justice”.

In addition, the police repeatedly refused to provide Mr Meuleman's family with details of the driver, even though this is the police's duty.

Dr Shuey claimed that the decision not to disclose the driver's personal information to the family was “aimed at concealing the identities of those involved”.

The report also questioned why Mr Andrews decided to drive away with a smashed windscreen.

A controversial review claims that the investigation into Daniel and Catherine Andrews' accident with the teenage cyclist was covered up “so as not to incriminate a political figure.”

“In the case of the police, it was dereliction of duty, in the case of Daniel Andrews, it was the disposal of evidence and in each case, at a minimum, it was dangerous/reckless driving,” the report said.

However, they later amended the documents to state that no test had been carried out, arguing that Ms Andrews “did not smell of intoxicating alcohol”.

The investigation concludes that another serious failure was the police's failure to verify the identity of the driver of the government vehicle involved in the accident.

“Witness Jane Crittenden states that she saw Catherine Andrews in the passenger seat after the accident,” it says.

“In my opinion, this failure of investigation was a deliberate omission. The question of who was driving remains unresolved and controversial,” the review states.

Shuey's investigation was based on analysis of FOI documents, witness statements and his own reconstruction of the incident.

Dr. Shuey died in August, just days after the report was completed, from a health problem linked to Agent Orange from the Vietnam War.

Mr. Meuleman, now an adult, is suing the law firm Slater & Gordon, which represented him after the accident, alleging that it failed to act in his best interests when negotiating an $80,000 compensation payment with the Transport Accident Commission.

Slater & Gordon denies the allegations and will defend itself in the proceedings. The trial is scheduled for May 2025.

In July, Mr and Mrs Andrews were forced by a Supreme Court order to hand over their phone and credit card details from the day of the crash.

Daily Mail Australia does not believe that Mr or Mrs Andrews committed any wrongdoing.

Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia that a “thorough investigation” had been conducted and the findings were consistent.

“As previously stated, Victoria Police, as well as IBAC, conducted a thorough investigation into this matter and all findings were consistent,” Victoria Police said.

“We have no further comment on this matter.”

The Daily Mail has contacted Victoria Police for further comment.