Thomas Towle: Mildura hit-run killer jailed for new driving offences

A hit-and-run driver who killed six Mildura teenagers in a horror crash 15 years ago has been jailed over a string of new driving offences.

A hit-and-run driver who killed six Mildura teenagers in a horror crash in 2006 has been jailed again over a string of new driving offences.

Thomas Graham Towle was sentenced to three months in prison in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Monday – 15 years after he was found guilty of one of the state’s worst hit and run cases.

The court heard the now 50-year-old man was busted at the wheel on a learner’s permit without an experienced driver with a valid licence on January 19.

He was also using an unregistered orange Holden Commodore with a stolen number plate.

Since the start of the year Towle has committed a total of six driving offences, including driving an unregistered vehicle, using stolen number plates, not displaying his L-plates and driving without an experienced driver.

Court documents said Towle also had an extensive criminal history involving 15 priors for burglary and 20 theft convictions.

On Monday prosecution called for the hit-run driver to lose his licence but magistrate Stella Stuthridge said he would need it once he was released from prison.

But she cautioned him to “try and hold onto it” once he is released.

Police at the crime scene where six teenagers were killed and seven injured while waiting for taxis near Mildura.

Ms Stuthridge said she believed he was remorseful, but was worried about his extensive rap sheet.

“This bundle of offending is concerning given your history,” Ms Stuthridge said.

“The offending with driving is more serious given your priors.”

In 2008 Towle was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he ploughed through a group of partying teenagers at Cardross just outside Mildura on Saturday, February 18, 2006.

Shane Hirst, 16, his sister Abby, 17, Stevie-Lee Weight, 15, Cassandra Manners, 16, Cory Dowling, 16, and Josephine Calvi, 16 were killed and four others were seriously injured.

In 2008 the court heard that after seeing the devastation, Towle left his own young traumatised children and the bleeding teenagers and ran through vineyards to his house several kilometres away. 

He was found guilty of six counts of dangerous driving causing death and four of dangerous driving causing serious injury and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a non-parole period of seven years.

Thomas Graham Towle who ran down a group of youths in Cardross, near Mildura, Victoria appeared in Supreme Court in Melbourne in March 2008 where he was found guilty of dangerous driving causing serious injury.

On Monday Towle pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered vehicle, using false plates, handling stolen goods, being an unaccompanied L-plater, not displaying L-plates, theft, burglary, wilful damage, handling stolen goods.  

Towle and a 52-year-old female co-accused broke into the clothing store Sujikim, at Lansell Square in Kangaroo Flat, and stole $3350 in cash and jewellery and clothing.

Towle also admitted to stealing a iPhone 5 that was left on at pokies of the Rising Sun Hotel, Bendigo, on New Year’s Day, 2021.

In January he and a female co-accused broke into the Prestige Jayco Bendigo, Epsom to steal vehicle keys and tools, and in August he took $566.22 of tools from Fitzpatrick’s Timber and Hardware and a $324 computer table from Telstra Bendigo.

Police prosecutor Alan Walker said Towle was at a high risk of reoffending and was concerned particularly by the new driving offences.

“He got his learner’s permit ... (but) he disregarded (the rules),” Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker said there was no attempt to access available mental health services, saying “his offending should be on his head”.

A prison video link showed the 50-year-old’s head down as he looked at his hands while his sentence was read to the court.

Towle was sentenced to three months in prison, with 11 days served, and a 12 month community corrections order which would include 50 hours of community work.