Echuca man Jake Cartledge jailed for fatal 'powerskid' crash that killed his partner and brother
It took just “three seconds” — about 60m — for the lives of two families to be tragically ruined by one young man’s “selfishness” in fatal Echuca crash.
A young Echuca man whose “deadly three seconds” of dangerous hooning in a hotted-up Commodore claimed the lives of his girlfriend and younger brother destroying two families will spend at least two years in jail.
The trial of Jake Cartledge came to an end at the Melbourne County Court on Tuesday with the 25-year-old punished for his “selfishness”, having earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Cartledge had taken his little brother Billy Cartledge out for a drive with his girlfriend Sheridan Coulthard on January 14, 2024.
They were in a “heavily modified and powerful” 826 horsepower Holden Commodore, which was registered to Cartledge’s father Wayne, a well-known figure in the drag racing community and former racing official for the Australian National Drag Racing Association.
On the way back to Sheridan’s house Cartledge performed a “powerskid” on the Murray Valley Highway before he lost control, veered off the road and slammed into trees travelling about 100km/h.
Both Sheridan, 27, and Billy, 11, died at the scene.
Cartledge pleaded guilty on the eighth day of his trial in Bendigo County Court after initially claiming a mechanical failure had caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
Judge Michael McInerney said Cartledge, who was dressed in a blue suit and sitting at the back of the court, showed “selfishness” and his behaviour deserved condemnation.
He said he did not consider the crash to be an accident due to the “intentional, dangerous driving” when Cartledge “indulged in heavy acceleration”.
The court heard the dangerous driving occurred within the space of 60m — about three seconds — before Cartledge tried to brake after starting to skid.
“Those three seconds were a deadly three seconds,” Judge McInerney said.
He said no court could alleviate the suffering caused to families and friends over the traffic incident.
More than 40 relatives and loved ones of both families filled the County Court for the sentencing
Multiple police officers waited outside the courtroom as an extra security measure.
When Judge McInerney spoke about the severe deterioration of Cartledge’s mental health since the fatal collision, several of his relatives broke into tears.
The court heard Cartledge experienced PTSD and depression and a character reference stated he was “haunted by remorse”.
Judge McInerney said Cartledge was young, a good candidate for rehabilitation, had no criminal priors and supported by family and friends.
He was sentenced to a maximum of four years’ jail and had his licence cancelled for 18 months.
