A Henty teen has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death following a crash at Yerong Creek that killed his teenage friend.
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The boy did not appear in a children’s court on Tuesday when his solicitor entered the plea on his behalf following the fatal incident on October 11.
"I've had a fairly detailed conference with his family and him, and I'm instructed to enter a plea of guilty," the solicitor said.
Documents tendered to the court revealed the two teens and five others had been camping at Yerong Creek when they decided to drive about four kilometres to charge their phones at a nearby machinery shed.
The teenage offender drove a white Toyota HiLux ute with the victim and another boy riding in the tray.
Another car carrying the four remaining boys travelled along the same route.
As he drove down a slight hill, the teenage boy turned sharply to the right then sharply to the left, causing the ute to slide off the road and roll over.
The offender, who was not wearing a seat belt, was knocked around as the ute rolled and lost control of the car before it travelled backwards down a paddock and came to rest against a fence.
Both boys in the back were thrown from the ute; one was thrown clear of the vehicle, while the other was struck by the rear wheel, suffering severe injuries to his leg.
The driver escaped the car and ran over to the injured boy to call for help, but he died at the scene.
The offender escaped with injuries to his hand, while the third boy was uninjured.
The next day, police interviewed some witnesses and the offender, who made full admissions to being the driver of the car.
“I drifted a bit to the right and then pulled left, but a bit hard, and the vehicle rolled,” he told police.
“I wanted to do a little drift but I went way too sharp. I managed to jump out of the vehicle before it rolled backwards into the fence.”
The boy was charged and had his matter heard in court only once before entering his guilty plea on Tuesday.
In court, his solicitor requested an adjournment so a Juvenile Justice report could be prepared before the boy faces sentencing.
“I think they’re very likely to get a psychological report, so I think there’ll be a bit of material,” he said.
The young offender will return to a children’s court on January 14 for sentencing.
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