Fatal crash driver had long court record, jail term

CANBERRA - The man charged with killing six Victorian teenagers and injuring seven others in a horrific accident on Saturday faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.

With a long driving record and a recent jail term, Thomas Graham Towle, 34, has shattered the rural city of Mildura and opened his own family to death threats following the accident in which his car ploughed into a group of teenagers leaving a birthday party.

Towle allegedly abandoned his own two young children in the car and fled on foot, leaving bystanders to do what they could to keep the injured alive until help arrived. One of the injured, 15-year-old Mark Medici, yesterday remained in a coma, with a broken pelvis and legs.

The grim details of the accident and of Towle's disturbing record emerged at a high-security court hearing in which he was charged with six counts of culpable driving, four of negligent driving causing serious injury, another of failing to stop at the scene of an accident and one of failing to render assistance.

Towle was driven the 50m from the cellblock to the courthouse in a police van as tensions in the town prompted bag and weapons checks on people filing in to see his brief appearance. No plea was taken and Towle was remanded in custody until June 26. He did not seek bail.

His mother, Jill Watson, said that Towle was a "very nice quiet person, a loving boy". "I'm very sorry," she said. "If I could die right now and bring them back I'd totally do it."

Police said that while drugs and speeding may have played a part in the accident, this could not be confirmed because Towle had not been interviewed until hours after the tragedy.

But the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Towle had appeared in court at least eight times since 1992 for driving while disqualified, and had been released from jail three months ago after serving 18 months for a firearms-related offence.

Watson said her son had left his girlfriend's house on Saturday night to take his 10-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son to spend the night at his brother's house.

Police allege the boy was sitting on Towle's lap when the car swerved across the road, apparently after hitting a tree, and ran down the teenagers waiting for taxis to take them home.

Shane Hirst, 16, his sister Abby, 17, Cassandra Manners, 16, Stevie-Lee Weight, 15, and Cory Dowling, 16, died instantly. Josephine Calvi, 16, died later in hospital.

A friend of the victims, Andrew Maxwell, told the Australian he had heard Towle's children screaming "Dad, what have you done?" and had thrown a bottle at Towle.

Watson said Towle had tried to help, but had ran off because he feared violence at the hands of a gathering crowd.

"He was trying to do his best. He got out, he felt a girl's pulse, and then he heard voices saying 'where is the bastard?'

"People have been saying, 'We are going to get your kids - don't think our kids are going without yours," family friend Tamara Ritchie told the Sydney Morning Herald.

But coordinating psychologist Graham Clue told ABC radio that people were not looking for vengeance.

"They're looking at getting to the next day. They're not going to forget about this, but they are going to move on."