A killer teen driver who was high on MDMA when he crashed a stolen Jeep has cried as he was sentenced to more than seven years behind bars.
The teenager, who cannot be named as he was 17 at the time of the deadly crash, placed his head in his hands and wiped away tears upon learning his jail sentence on Tuesday afternoon.
He was driving a stolen Jeep that collided with William Taylor’s Toyota Corolla in Burwood, located in Melbourne’s east, on the evening of July 2, 2024.
The teenager, now 18, was still on bail when he pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to charges such as culpable driving causing death and conduct endangering life.
Judge Justin Lewis on Tuesday determined the teenager’s moral culpability to be high, as the teen was unlicensed, driving at high speeds in a stolen vehicle, and using the drug MDMA on the day of the collision.
“You never should have been driving at all,” the judge said in sentencing.
Lewis accepted there was an element of panic when the boy fled the scene after the crash but also noted the teen was clearly trying to avoid arrest.
The judge said the boy’s guilty plea showed he had accepted responsibility and spared Taylor’s family having to sit through a trial.
He referenced five statements provided to the court from Taylor’s family and friends, noting how eloquently they spoke of their grief.
“The death of the loss expressed is profound,” Judge Lewis said.
While acknowledging the teenager’s youth and generally good rehabilitation prospects, the judge emphasized the importance of deterring others in the community from committing similar offenses.
The boy was jailed for seven years and seven months but he will be eligible for parole after four-and-a-half years.
Lewis recommended the Adult Parole Board direct the boy to serve all or part of his sentence in a youth justice centre, given his age.
The teen wiped away tears while his mother sobbed in the courtroom after the sentence was handed down.
Taylor’s family hugged as they left the County Court but chose not to make a statement to media.
