A 14-year-old boy, Bryson Dimovski, was killed after being struck by Jaycob Gemza, who was looking at his phone while driving. The incident occurred in July 2023 in Warners Bay, NSW, Australia. Gemza fled the scene without calling for help; police found Bryson's body six hours later. Gemza pleaded guilty to failing to stop and assist, and to negligent and dangerous driving but received a sentence of five years with eligibility for parole after three years and three months. The article highlights calls for stricter penalties and changes in legal practices regarding phone use while driving and testing windows for alcohol and drugs.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
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'He just left him there,' his father Andrew told A Current Affair.
left emphasizes the driver's irresponsibility
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'He was left there like roadkill.'
left depicts the victim's fate in a harsh light, implying negligence
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'We've got a life sentence, he doesn't have a life sentence,' Ms Dimovski said.
left compares the family's suffering to the perpetrator's punishment
Leaning score -0.35 for article 12478 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-16
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A grieving family has renewed calls for tougher sentences and for a legal loophole to be closed after their teenage son was hit by a car and left to die.
Bryson Dimovski, 14, was riding his e-scooter on his way home in Warners Bay, in the NSW Lake Macquarie region, in July 2023 when he was struck by Jaycob Gemza, then 21, who had been looking at his phone while driving.
asserted
who → see → phone
The teen struck the car's windscreen on impact and rolled down an embankment, where his body wasn't discovered by police until six hours later.
asserted
body → strike → police
Gemza pulled over but drove off a short time later without calling triple-zero.
asserted
Gemza → pull → zero
Bryson's family and friends drove past the crash site multiple times while searching for the teen that night, not realising his body was just metres away below.
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body → drive → teen
'He just left him there,' his father Andrew told A Current Affair.
asserted
father → leave → Affair
'He ran back to his car, drove off and left Bryson for dead.
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He → run → Bryson
His wife Melissa added: 'He was left there like roadkill.'
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He → add → roadkill
Bryson Dimovski, 14, was hit and killed by a car while rising his e-scooter home in 2023
Bryson's body hit the windscreen and rolled down am embankment, where police didn't find his body until six hours later
'
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police → hit → body
being able to hold him when he passed is something very distressing as a mother.
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he → hold → mother
'
Gemza pleaded guilty to failing to stop and assist, and to negligent and dangerous driving, in Newcastle Local Court earlier this year.
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Gemza → plead → Court
Gemza was jailed for five years but will be eligible for parole after three years and three months.
asserted
Gemza → jail → years
He could be freed as early as February 2029.
uncertain
He → free → February
'We've got a life sentence, he doesn't have a life sentence,' Ms Dimovski said.
asserted
Dimovski → get → sentence
Before handing down Gemza's sentence, Judge Paul Marr asked everyone in the packed courtroom to turn off their phones and not switch them back on until they got home.
asserted
they → hand → them
'They [phones] are a distraction to you and to me,' he told the courtroom.
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he → tell → courtroom
'We each share a responsibility to others on the road.'
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We → share → road
Jaycob Gemza was recently jailed over the fatal hit and run
Bryson's parents Andrew and Melissa are demanding change
'Don't do it for me, do it for Bryson Dimovski.
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parents → jail → Dimovski
Bryson's parents are also campaigning for the four-hour drug and alcohol testing window to be expanded.
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window → campaign → ?
The court heard that Gemza allegedly drank three full-strength beers at a pub and bought a fourth before getting behind the wheel that afternoon.
uncertain
Gemza → hear → wheel
By the time he handed himself in to police, hours after the fatal hit-and-run, after seeing a social media post about Bryson being missing, it was too late for him to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
asserted
him → hand → drugs
A 20,000-strong petition for 'Bryson's Law' was recently rejected by NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley.
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petition → reject → Daley
The Dimovskis have vowed not to give up the fight in the hope that a similar tragedy can be avoided.
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tragedy → vow → hope
It's about accountability,' Mr Dimovski said.
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Dimovski → say → accountability
'It's about deterrence, so no other family walks in our shoes.'
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family → walk → shoes
Andrew Dimovski (pictured with son Bryson) and his family are also campaigning for the four-hour drug and alcohol testing window to be expanded
'
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window → picture → Bryson
And if we can turn our pain into something that might help someone else, then it's worth it.'
uncertain
it → turn → someone
His wife added: 'Bryson deserved nothing less than this.'
asserted
Bryson → add → this
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