<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The boy, who cannot be named as he was 17 at the time of the fatal crash, put his head in his hands and wiped away tears as he learnt of his jail term on Tuesday afternoon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was behind the wheel of a stolen Jeep that crashed into William Taylor's Toyota Corolla in Burwood in Melbourne's east on the evening of July 2, 2024.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/porepunkah-victoria-police-shooting-live-updates-latest-news-headlines/7dcdf6e1-5c00-4554-8d22-cc74f2e1f007" target="_blank"><strong><span>Alleged gunman on run after two police officers killed at rural property</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The boy was weaving through traffic at high speeds in the lead up to the collision, ignoring calls from his five teenage passengers to slow down or stop.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Taylor, who was driving to soccer training, had entered the intersection at Highbury and Warrigal roads when the Jeep struck the passenger side of his Corolla.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The stolen vehicle was travelling at 129km/h in a 60km/h zone in the seconds before the collision.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/killer-teen-driver-cries-over-seven-year-jail-sentence/6f813c13-58fa-4127-9f6f-08d776fed683" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Taylor suffered extensive injuries and died at the scene, while the boy and his passengers ran from the stolen car.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the hour after the fatal crash, the boy used his phone to track the Victoria Police air wing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He also looked up Crimestoppers, news websites and searched, "what is the punishment for a minor who commits involuntary manslaughter?"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The boy was arrested at his home the next day and lied about losing his phone before providing a no-comment interview to investigators.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was bailed, brought back into custody after breaching his bail conditions, and then released again in the month after the crash.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/iran-orchestrated-at-least-two-antisemitic-attacks-in-australia-anthony-albanese-says/d0cede9a-6c94-4f68-b86d-29099be3f514" target="_blank"><strong><span>Iran orchestrated at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil, PM says</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The boy, who is now 18, was still on bail when he entered a guilty plea in the Victorian County Court to charges including culpable driving causing death and conduct endangering life.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Justin Lewis on Tuesday found the boy's moral culpability was high, given the teen was unlicensed, speeding in a stolen car and using the drug MDMA on the day of the crash.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You never should have been driving at all," the judge said in sentencing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The judge said the boy's guilty plea showed he had accepted responsibility and spared Taylor's family having to sit through a trial.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He referenced five statements provided to the court from Taylor's family and friends, noting how eloquently they spoke of their grief.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The death of the loss expressed is profound," Judge Lewis said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He accepted the boy was still young and his prospects of rehabilitation were generally good, but said deterring other people in the community from committing similar offences was important.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The boy was jailed for seven years and seven months but he will be eligible for parole after four-and-a-half years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The teen wiped away tears while his mother sobbed in the courtroom after the sentence was handed down.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Taylor's family hugged as they left the County Court but chose not to make a statement to media.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, 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