Cloverdale crash: Killer driver revealed as Rabin Rawal, 43, as police investigate murder-suicide theory

The driver who deliberately drove on the wrong side of the road and killed a mother, her daughter and their taxi driver has been named as police investigate whether it was an act of murder-suicide. The West Australian understands while formal identification is still under way, Rabin Rawal, 43, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a RAV4 driving on the wrong side of Leach Highway near Perth Airport on Monday morning. When The West Australian visited Mr Rawal’s home on Tuesday, a woman refused to comment on the tragedy. The mother and daughter, aged 56 and 81, were travelling home from a holiday when they were killed. Their taxi driver was 58-year-old father of three, Sendeku Tesema. Tributes have continued to flow for Mr Tesema, including in the letters page of The West, where Carol Sharbanee described him as “one of society’s best”. “(He) was a carer at my mother’s nursing home before he left to try and earn more money,” she said. “He called my mother and my aunty, mummy. And he looked after them as if he was their son. I imagine that’s how he treated all those under his care. “He was one of society’s best and it is so unbelievable that his life was lost in this way.” On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Col Blanch said major crash officers would continue to investigate whether they were dealing with a deliberate act of murder-suicide. “That’s certainly part of the investigation, and we may end up with that conclusion but it’s too early to tell,” he said. Officers are focusing on dash-cam footage prior to the crash. Mr Blanch said some of that footage was “concerning”. “The major crash investigation squad is still working very hard to understand the reasons behind the crash,” he said. “We are very concerned by what we’ve recovered from the dash cam. “This is a tragedy for the families and certainly for first responders attending that crash ... it’s really heartbreaking. “We will do the investigation for all four fatalities — it’s just a tragedy for WA.” Mr Blanch said he didn’t believe the driver was known to police. Detective Senior Sergeant Hugh Le Tessier, from major crash investigation team, said the semi-damaged dash cam recorded the RAV4 speeding through Belmont and Cloverdale before the crash. It also showed the driver had deliberately driven the wrong way up an off-ramp on to Leach Highway before heading in a northerly direction in the southbound lanes before impact. Det-Sen. Sgt Hugh Le Tessier said it was unclear why the driver had made the decision to drive on the wrong side of the road. “That’s probably something we’ll never know,” he said. “I can only report on the facts as we know it. We know what happened. Our investigation is now focusing on why.” He said the deaths of the mother and daughter, who lived in WA, marked a tragic start to the year. “It’s just a tragic event for the family, but not just that family who have lost a mother and a daughter . . . but also for the families of the others involved,” he said. “There’s four families that have been severely impacted by this, and it’s extremely sad.”