Paul Trymain Maxton: Families clash in heated scenes outside court as driver jailed for hit and run in Albany

Simmering tensions reached boiling point outside Perth District Court on Tuesday when the loved ones of a man left unable to walk or talk after he was hit by a car in Albany clashed with the family of the man behind the wheel. Paul Trymain Maxton was jailed for three years and two months on Tuesday morning for driving a car into former WAFL player Russell Wynne during a shocking melee in Albany in 2021 — and then failing to stop and help him. The court was told Maxton, who has been in custody since the incident, had driven a group of friends to Stirling Terrace in the early hours of July 18 of that year, with the knowledge that a physical fight was likely to occur once there. Lawyer Patti Chong said her client was a “very passive and docile person” and had not taken part in any of the subsequent fighting. The court was told as Maxton “stood to the side and watched the events unfold”, the two warring factions attacked one another in the middle of the street. “You didn’t consider yourself a fighter. No one handed you a weapon, you didn’t grab a weapon (at the outset of the brawl). You did nothing even when assaults were occurring. You just didn’t want to be involved,” she said. It was only when Maxton saw his cousin at the receiving end of what he thought could have been a catastrophic blow from a machete that he sprung into action, jumping back into his car and driving it toward the group to try and help him. “He wanted to scare them into stopping what they were doing,” Judge Linda Black said. Ms Chong said it was a decision her client would regret for the rest of his life. CCTV footage of the incident shows Maxton “snaking” the vehicle towards the brawling bodies, at which point one of the people in the group — Mr Wynne — jumped in the same direction as the car, and collided with it. Describing the manoeuvre as “an incredibly dangerous and risky thing to do”, Judge Black said it was hard to imagine injuries much worse than the ones Mr Wynne received — a lifetime of being unable to walk or talk. After smashing into Mr Wynne, Maxton continued driving, and even when well clear of the mass brawl, failed to call triple-0 for help. Judge Black described that failure as “perhaps one of the worst decisions” of his life. “It was never your intention to hit Mr Wynne ... it was just a terribly tragic combination of circumstances,” she said, before adding that Maxton “should have stopped at some point”. Ms Chong agreed, saying her client was extremely remorseful for his actions and simply panicked. She said the 24-year-old had remained in custody since the incident and had as a result missed the birth of his now-two-year-old son. As Judge Black sentenced Maxton, she revealed he would be granted a 20 per cent discount due to his early plea of guilty, and his young age, bringing his overall term of imprisonment down to three-and-a-half years. The decision triggered an audible outcry from the back of the courtroom, where a large number of Mr Wynne’s family were seated, including his mother. Outside court, emotions bubbled over between Mr Wynne’s family and the few loved ones in court for Maxton. In a heated exchange, the large group hurled abuse at each other from across the footpath. Maxton will be eligible for parole after serving 16 months, with his sentence backdated to January. Once released he will be disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years.