Darren Towle: Mildura man said he 'ruined a man's life' after he struck a man delivering newspapers

The brother of a notorious Mildura killer driver has learnt his fate for striking a delivery driver with his ute, causing "monumentally life-altering" injuries.

The brother of a notorious killer Mildura driver won't spend more time in jail for veering out of his lane and striking a pedestrian, crushing him between two cars and causing such serious injuries that he needed an amputation. 

Darren Towle, 47, was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury earlier this year.

Towle was sentenced to 391 days in jail, which he had already served, and a two year community corrections order through which he will be required to undertake 150 hours of community work and treatment for mental health, drug and alcohol abuse. 

Judge Fiona Todd said she had heard an interview between Towle and a sergeant at the scene shortly after Towle veered off the road and into a bike lane in November 2021, crushing a newspaper delivery man's body against his ute.

She said Towle was heard saying "I have f****** ruined another man's life". 

The court also heard impact statements from both the victim, who delivered newspapers before the incident, and his wife. 

The victim, aged in his 70s, told the court all of his dreams for an adventure-filled retirement had been stolen from him as a result of the crash.

The serious injuries he sustained as a result of being pinned between two cars meant he sustained serious left shoulder injuries and a crushed right leg which later needed to be amputated.

The court heard he was too "scared and anxious" to go outside, never knowing what was coming up behind him. 

"I was very active before but now a lot of the goals I had for retirement are lost. I wanted to kayak the Murray River and travel to New Zealand to do some riding and I was meant to be going with a mate to do the Cradle Mountain hike," he said. 

His wife described the burden of her husband's injuries and that she was now a carer.

"We had so many plans," her statement said. 

The court heard the couple were struggling financially as they had to renovate their home and pay someone to do the household jobs he did before his injuries.

"We have had to cut back on expenses," he said in his statement. "Even the cat is eating more than me."

Towle was on bail for the sentencing, having been granted it in December at what was his fifth attempt. He had been denied bail four times previously. 

Thomas Towle brother Darren Towle and his mother Jill Wilson.

Towle had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the crash and his blood alcohol content was between 0.051 and 0.072 .

While the judge agreed the drugs "played a role" in the offending, the "gravity of it is uncertain". 

When delivering her sentence Judge Fiona Todd said Towle had "totally failed to see a very obvious parked car". 

She added the victim's injuries were "monumentally life-altering". 

Towle's older brother, Thomas, killed six teenagers when he sped through a group of teenagers as they left a 16th birthday party on the outskirts of Mildura in 2006.

Judge Todd told Towle she didn't give any weight to his brother's actions in his sentencing because “you shouldn’t be punished for your brother's actions”.

However, she acknowledged the widely held belief he should have been a more cautious and "better driver" due to seeing the suffering and consequences of dangerous driving as a result of his brother's actions.

Towle's licence was also cancelled for 18 months.