Getaway driver in Glenn Walewicz murder kept helping co-offenders after learning of shooting

The getaway driver involved in the murder of the “innocent” Glenn Walewicz continued to help his co-offenders even though he learned a person had been shot, a court has heard.

Reatile Ncube, who pleaded guilty to accessory to murder over his role in the shooting, appeared in the ACT Supreme Court for a sentencing hearing on Monday (30 January).

He drove the car for the group that went to Phillip on 10 June 2021, although he didn’t know where he was going and had to ask for directions, court documents say.

It was Ncube’s understanding that the others were going to demand money from people at a home in Mansfield Place.

He stayed in the car when the others got out at about 11:30 pm, then when they returned a few minutes later, one of the others referenced someone being shot.

Ncube sped off, at one stage driving through a red light without the car’s headlights on.

But it wasn’t until days later that he learned that the person who had been shot had died.

The prosecution’s case was that the group had gone to the wrong unit. Mr Walewicz was shot, allegedly by a 17-year-old, when he answered a knock on his door and died shortly afterwards.

Crown prosecutor Joel Hiscox told the sentencing hearing the court could not forget how “a completely innocent man has lost his life”.

“Mr Walewicz was not involved whatsoever with any crime or with the drug trade and on answering his door he’s been shot and killed,” he said.

He also argued that while Ncube didn’t know Mr Walewicz had been killed when he drove away, he did learn a person had been shot and still continued to give assistance to the others as a getaway driver.

Defence barrister Travis Jackson said his Zimbabwe-born client had known the 17-year-old since they were children.

Ncube had been in Albury for a time but had issues with racism in the schools there, so he returned to Canberra where he rekindled their relationship. This relationship revolved around MDMA, Mr Jackson said.

He said the 19-year-old hadn’t committed crimes before and had been a model prisoner while he spent six months in jail on remand.

Acting Justice Peter Berman said he wanted to express the court’s sympathy to Mr Walewicz’s family and friends.

“Sometimes in sentencing, the victim and the victim’s family get forgotten. You are not forgotten,” he said.

He will sentence Ncube on Friday (3 February). The Dunlop man remains on bail.

Gary Taylor pleaded guilty to murder over his role in the shooting and will be sentenced in the future.

The then-17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age at the time of the shooting, also pleaded guilty to murder and remains to be sentenced. The details he admitted have not been publicly released, but it was previously alleged that he was the shooter.

Holt woman Nicole Williams, who was 38 when arrested in June 2022, has pleaded not guilty to her alleged involvement and has been committed to the Supreme Court for trial.

Jayden Douglas Williams, a 19-year-old from Glen Innes in NSW, also pleaded not guilty to his charges and has been committed for trial as well.

A murder charge against a 13-year-old boy was dropped last year.