Fresh allegations have thrown the spotlight back on the notorious ‘Bike Boy’ crash involving former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his wife, more than ten years after a teenage cyclist was critically injured.
Former cop Scott Hanley told the Daily Mail he has prepared a brief of evidence on behalf of Ryan Meuleman, which he plans to present to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush during a sit-down meeting in the next two to three weeks.
It will then be referred to the Office of Public Prosecutions, which will decide whether any charges follow.
‘The brief of evidence is ready to go,’ Mr Hanley told Daily Mail. ‘We’ll be formally asking the Commissioner to commence an investigation – because one was never properly opened in the first place.
‘From there, it will be up to the Office of Public Prosecutions to decide whether it goes any further.’
Mr Meuleman was 15 when he collided with a Ford Territory driven by Catherine Andrews in the Mornington Peninsula town of Blairgowrie on January 7, 2013.
Mr Andrews, then Victorian Opposition Leader, and the couple’s three children were passengers in the car.
After examining the case for more than two and a half years as a private investigator acting for the Meuleman family, Mr Hanley said he is now ready to push for the matter to be formally reopened.
Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his wife Catherine
Former cop Scott Hanley told the Daily Mail he has prepared a brief of evidence
Mr Hanley is connected to the case: while on duty in Sorrento, he was initially dispatched to the crash but, before reaching the scene, was stood down over the police radio and the job reassigned to officers at Rye Police Station.
‘It was highly unusual and a bit weird. I was the closest crew to the scene. There’s a sick boy bleeding on the road. Wouldn’t you want to use whatever crew could get there the quickest,’ Mr Hanley told the Herald Sun.
‘We had more experience than that Rye crew. The nature of policing means that when you take responsibility for a job, you take all the work that comes with it. I’ve never heard of another crew putting their hand up to take on somebody else’s job.’
Mr Andrews said there was a bike path running alongside Melbourne Road that crossed Ridley Street nearby, and that it was partly hidden by trees.
Mr Andrews said the car had stopped before turning and was moving slowly.
According to police statements from Catherine Andrews, just after the car turned into Ridley Street, it was hit hard on the front driver’s side by Mr Meuleman coming from the bike path.
‘He was moving at speed, he absolutely T-boned the car, hit it at such force he was literally inside the car. That’s how much the windscreen was depressed, he flew up over the car and hit the road,’ Mr Andrews said.
The teenager was airlifted to hospital with catastrophic injuries, including a punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding, and later lost most of his spleen.
Ryan Meuleman, then 15, was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries and later lost part of his spleen
Mr Meuleman was cycling in the seaside town of Blairgowrie on January 7, 2013 when he collided with the ex-Victorian Premier’s car
But despite the Andrews’ claims, and The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission clearing police of any wrongdoing, questions continue to be raised about what happened that day.
Mr Hanley, who was initially instructed to attend the crash scene before being ordered to stand down, alleges police committed at least 35 procedural failures.
He claims officers failed to interview Mr Meuleman or key witnesses, did not properly examine the vehicle involved, and allowed the investigation to die a natural death.
Mr Hanley has also alleged Mr Andrews delayed calling triple-0 for more than six minutes and that the damaged SUV was moved from the scene, claims the former premier has previously rejected.
He said time was now critical, warning statutes of limitation could soon prevent any further action.
‘There could be people trying to protect their careers,’ Mr Hanley alleged. ‘Senior police are on government contracts, do you really want to rock the boat and lose your job?’
The case has been marked by a series of contentious revelations over more than a decade.
In 2017, it emerged two junior officers who attended the crash failed to breathalyse Ms Andrews, later acknowledging each had mistakenly assumed the other had done so.
The Andrews’ SUV was smashed up
The vehicle sustained major damage
Mr Andrews said one officer later apologised to his wife for the oversight.
Police also never formally interviewed Mr Meuleman. At the time, this was attributed to the severity of his injuries, but officers failed to follow up after he recovered.
Further questions emerged last year following an independent review by senior Victoria Police traffic expert Dr Raymond Shuey, which directly contradicted the Andrews’ account.
The review was prepared for Mr Meuleman’s Supreme Court action against Slater and Gordon, which later settled confidentially for several hundred thousand dollars after the firm was accused of mishandling his original compensation claim.
Mr Andrews dismissed the report at the time as ‘conspiracy theories dressed up as journalism.’
Police were later cleared of wrongdoing by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, which finalised its review in December 2017.
‘Victoria Police conducted a comprehensive investigation into this matter, as did IBAC, and all findings were consistent,’ a police spokesperson said.
The renewed focus on the crash comes days after the Daily Mail revealed that Andrews and his wife missed a Federal Court deadline to file a defence in a defamation case brought by Mr Meuleman.
Andrews says Mr Meuleman collided with the SUV
Mr Meuleman has sued the Andrews’ for defamation
Mr Meuleman alleges he was subjected to online abuse and labelled a ‘grifter’ after the couple issued a media statement in September 2024 describing the independent review as ‘appalling conspiracy theories.’
The Andrews deny defaming Mr Meuleman and rejected a proposal to pay $50,000 in compensation and issue an apology.
Under the court timetable, the couple were required to file their defence by December 19, but the deadline passed without a filing. It is unclear why the defence was not lodged or whether the delay will affect the proceedings.
Mr Meuleman is due to respond by February 6, with a case management hearing scheduled for February 11.
According to a Federal Court statement of claim seen by the Daily Mail, Mr Meuleman continues to suffer chronic pain and significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, and traumatisation. His father, Peter Meuleman, said this week that the now 27-year-old checked into a Victorian-based treatment centre last month.
The Daily Mail makes no suggestion that the Andrews’ acted improperly during the accident.
