A teenager in Australia who killed a man during a high-speed crash after taking MDMA broke down in court as he received his sentence, according to reports.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the teen — now 18 but legally protected from being named because he was 17 at the time of the offense — wept as he was sentenced to seven years in prison at the Victorian County Court for the death of William Taylor, 28, on July 2, 2024, per the Australian Associated Press (AAP).
The court heard that the teen had been driving a stolen Jeep at about 80 mph in a 37 mph zone, weaving dangerously through traffic, when he slammed into Taylor’s Toyota Corolla at the intersection of Highbury and Warrigal roads in Burwood, a suburb of Melbourne. Taylor died at the scene. The teen, who was unlicensed and under the influence of drugs, fled with five teenage passengers, the outlet reported. Taylor had been on his way to soccer training.
Judge Justin Lewis told the teen, “[The Taylor family’s profound loss] stands in stark contrast to whatever transient joy or pleasure you received from driving fast in traffic. I declare you must serve four years and six months before being eligible for parole,” per the Sydney Morning Herald.
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The court also heard that the passengers, aged between 15 and 19, begged him to stop before the fatal crash. Instead, he turned up the music and kept going, the outlet reported.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the stolen Jeep had been picked up near the Syndal train station. The teen later drove around Melbourne collecting friends, used an app on his phone to monitor police helicopters, and searched online after the crash: “What is the punishment for a minor who commits involuntary manslaughter?”
The teenager’s mother also wept in court as her son was sentenced. He had pleaded guilty in July to charges including culpable driving causing death, theft, and failing to render assistance, the Sydney Morning Herald noted. Judge Lewis said the teen would have faced a nine-year term without the guilty plea.
The AAP reported that the teen was first arrested the day after the crash, released on bail, then taken back into custody for breaching conditions before being released again weeks later.
In a June court appearance, Taylor’s mother, Denise Taylor, described her son’s death as “completely avoidable,” according to the ABC.
“He did nothing wrong, but was cruelly and horrifically killed in an event that should never have happened,” she said.
