Fresh details emerge after grandmother died when car ploughed through her home – as killer driver makes a plea to court

New details have emerged about the death of a grandmother who was struck by a car inside her own home as her killer claims she should be found ‘not mentally responsible’ for the tragedy.

Batoul Sleibi El Dirani, 30, faced a special hearing at Penrith District Court on Monday over the high-speed crash that killed Robyn Figg, 62, as she slept in her St Mary’s home, in Sydney’s west, on October 8, 2022. 

El Dirani was travelling at up to 65km/h over the speed limit with a baby in the back seat when her Jeep Grand Cherokee ploughed through the Monfarville St property.

She fled the scene with the baby before being arrested and taken to a mental health facility. She also assaulted two police officers during the process.

El Dirani was subsequently charged with aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning death, failing to stop and assist, and two counts of assaulting a police officer in the execution of their duty.

She pleaded not guilty to all charges on Monday citing mental illness. 

It came as the court heart fresh details about the scene that confronted first responders as they fought to save Ms Figg’s life. 

The court heard Ms Figg was sleeping when El Dirani, travelling between 112km/h and 115km/h in a 50km/h zone, failed to turn after coming to a T-intersection. 

The car collided with a tree, bike, and street sign in front of Ms Figg’s home, before smashing into the front wall and ploughing through to the rear bedroom. 

Crown prosecutor Cassandra Hurford said Ms Figg, who was asleep in the rear bedroom, was ‘thrown… over a back fence, and into a neighbouring property’. 

Emergency services frantically performed CPR but, despite their best efforts, Ms Figg died at the scene.

Ms Hurford said El Dirani was observed by ‘a number of witnesses’ acting erratically while leaving the scene, carrying her five-month-old baby.

‘She was later located by police heading in an easterly direction on Carpenter St,’ she said.

‘Police observed she was making odd comments – including whose baby it was and whether it was her baby.’

Ms Hurford said as a result of her ‘unusual and erratic’ behaviour, El Dirani was taken to Nepean Hospital where she was scheduled for involuntarily mental health treatment.

Meanwhile, at the scene, police officers spoke to El Dirani’s husband, who said he had awoken that morning to find his wife, the baby, and the house keys missing. 

Ms Hurford said El Dirani’s husband had concerns about her mental state in the weeks preceding the crash.

‘He [also] told hospital staff about the accused’s mental state at the time of the collision,’ Ms Hurford told the court.

‘He had sought medical help by taking her to a GP and was in the process of having her assessed by a psychiatrist, but it didn’t eventuate because it [that appointment] was [scheduled for] a few days after the collision.

El Dirani’s lawyer James Trevallion told the court it was conceded that his client committed the acts that killed Ms Figg.

However, due to her mental illness, he said her case should be handled as a mental health incident – an argument agreed upon by the prosecution.

The court heard two psychiatric reports – compiled by one expert on behalf of the Crown and one expert acting for the defence – both came to the conclusion that El Dirani was suffering from a mental health impairment at the time of the crash.

Judge Miiko Kumar said both experts appeared to agree that El Dirani was suffering from psychosis at the time of the crash – although their diagnostic terms varied.

Ms Kumar noted Dr Adam Martin, on behalf of the Crown, found El Dirani was  suffering from schizophrenia, possibly induced by post-natal depression, while Dr Allnutt for the defence diagnosed her symptoms under chronic adjustment disorder.

Ms Hurford said the Crown was seeking El Dirani’s conditional release and referral to the mental health tribunal, with Dr Martin noting there was a risk her condition could remanifest. 

She noted that El Dirani was treated with medication while in hospital shortly after the crash and a second type of medication used was effective. 

Ms Kumar said, given the evidence, she was likely to proceed with El Dirani’s case under the Mental Health Act. She will give her verdict on the case in Penrith District Court at 10am on Tuesday.

During the hearing, El Dirani fiddled nervously with a clasp on her bag as she sat alongside her husband and an Arabic interpreter.

Once it concluded, her husband protectively ushered her out of court and away from reporters waiting outside as they made their way to a nearby car park.