Victims' family members cried out as the young driver who killed five teenagers in a high-speed crash on a quiet road on the outskirts of Buxton last year was jailed for his crimes.
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Tyrell Edwards was sentenced on his 20th birthday to spend at least seven years in prison for causing the deaths of two boys and three girls aged 14 to 16 on September 6, 2022.
The Bargo man pleaded guilty in August to five counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and faced a sentencing hearing in November, where the victims' families spoke of their unending pain.
Judge Christopher O'Brien acknowledged this as a "tragic and impossibly sad case" involving the deaths of five young people whose loss "diminishes us all".
"Their deaths were completely avoidable and the responsibility for them lies squarely at the feet of the offender," he said.
Edwards was 18 and a P-plater when he crashed on East Parade in Buxton, killing Lily Van de Putte and Summer Williams, 14, Gabriella McLennan and Tyrese Bechard, 15, and Antonio Desisto, 16.
In the hours before the crash, he picked up the two boys from a Bargo service station and then frequently drove at speeds above the limit, at one point hitting 147kmh.
Video Edwards filmed himself from inside the vehicle showed him swerving left to right across the road as one of the boys yelled "f---" and "we're going to spin out cuz".
About 7.17pm Edwards picked up Gabriella and Lily, before picking up Summer a short time later in Tahmoor.
Antonio was in the front passenger seat; the other four passengers were in the back seat, which was equipped with seatbelts for only three passengers.
Edwards was speeding at about 118kmh in a 60kmh zone when he lost control of the Nissan Navara ute close to 8pm.
The vehicle spun out, hit a large tree, spun again and slammed into another tree, the force ripping the cabin open and flinging the rear seat with its four passengers from the ute.
All five victims died at the scene, but Edwards freed himself from the wreckage and was heard to say: "I'm gonna go to jail. I can't go to jail. I don't want to go to jail".
He sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash.
Edwards later told police the steering wheel had started shaking and he tried to straighten the vehicle but it continued to go "left and right", and then he blacked out.
A mechanical inspection found no faults with the vehicle.
He also told police he did not know how a fourth passenger got in the car, claiming he only picked up two of the girls.
Edwards, appearing on screen from the Metropolitan Remand Centre, kept his head down while Judge O'Brien outlined the facts of the case in Campbelltown District Court on Friday.
A psychologist found Edwards experienced a severe trauma response to the crash, guilt and suicidal thoughts, and his psychological issues would persist into the future.
Judge O'Brien said Edwards would be more vulnerable in custody and imprisonment would weigh more heavily on him as a result.
He found Edwards accepted full responsibility and was "truly, genuinely and deeply" remorseful.
"I can't understand how unfair it is that I survived. I wish so much that I could take it back and have my friends back," Edwards wrote in a letter Judge O'Brien read to the court.
The judge said Edwards' prospects of rehabilitation were "excellent" and he was unlikely to reoffend.
Judge O'Brien set a maximum term of 12 years and found special circumstances warranted a shorter non-parole period.
Edwards was disqualified from driving for three years.
He will become eligible for release in July 2030.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
