Two teens killed, another critical after Cranbourne smash
A teenager who allegedly stole a vehicle that was involved in a smash at Cranbourne, in which two teens were killed and another seriously injured, has cried and threatened to burn down Dandenong Magistrates’ Court.
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A teenager who allegedly stole a vehicle involved in a horror smash at Cranbourne threatened to burn down Dandenong Magistrates’ Court and punched a wall as he was escorted out of his hearing yesterday.
Jack Ledlin, 18, cried and made the threat to set fire to the court if he didn’t get to see his girlfriend, who remains in hospital with critical spinal injuries suffered in the smash.
Teenagers Byron Hampton, 16, and Jordy Kirkwood, 18, died in the smash when the light blue Commodore they — Ledlin and driver Dylan Cassidy — were all travelling in collided with another car on the South Gippsland Highway in Cranbourne on August 11.
“If I don’t get to f---ing see her tonight I’ll burn this place down. This is torture,” Mr Ledlin yelled during Tuesday’s court hearing.
“I don’t care if I get locked up for ten years I need to see her, this might be her last night.
“You don’t get it, the last memory I have of her is her yelling out to me after the crash.
“I stayed behind after the crash, I did the right thing.”
Ledlin, from Baxter, faced seven charges — trespassing with intent to steal (armed with baseball bat), attempted theft of a motor vehicle, possessing prohibited weapon — knuckle dusters and giving police a false name, recklessly causing injury, assault with a baseball bat and unlawful assault — all on March 28 — and theft in Cranbourne of a Holden Commodore on August 11.
He was allegedly involved in a reported burglary at Frankston in March where thousands of dollars worth of luxury items, including bags, diamond jewellery and Rolex watches were stolen from a family while on an overseas holiday.
The family installed CCTV and confronted Ledlin, who was allegedly armed with a baseball bat, and with six co-accused when they returned to steal more in the days after the first incident.
Ledlin is alleged to have swung the bat at his victim and asked his friends to help him but they ran away and he was arrested.
He was taken to Frankston hospital for scans where staff allegedly found knuckle dusters hidden under his shorts.
Ledlin’s lawyer said the teen was completely devastated by the death of his friends and serious condition of his girlfriend and the incident was the type of lesson that “no one would want to be subjected to”.
“He has certainly expressed to me his complete devastation to the loss of his friends.”
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen said this type of youth offending “really isn’t committed by one, it’s more than likely more than two people encouraging others,”
“The ripple effect from these incidents is extraordinary.”
Ledlin will appear again in court today for a bail application to live with his father, who was in court, and will undergo a youth justice assessment.
A family in another car — a 39-year-old Lynbrook woman and two girls, aged 6 and 9 — were treated for injuries.
Cassidy, from Frankston, remains in hospital under police guard.
FAMILY, FRIENDS PAY TRIBUTE
It comes after heartbroken family and friends gathered at the scene of the horror Cranbourne smash on Monday morning to pay tribute to teenage victims Byron Hampton and Jordy Kirkwood.
Hallam Senior College student Byron, 16, has been remembered as an amazing friend with a good heart, as his friends grapple with his untimely death in the horrific crash on Sunday afternoon that claimed two lives, left a third teen fighting for life and injured three people — including children in a second car.
The driver allegedly attempted to run from the car after he lost control of it and crashed it into another car.
Another girl, 17, is clinging to life at Royal Melbourne Hospital with loved ones at her bedside.
Byron’s devastated mother, Nicole Hampton, and aunty Renee Hampton laid flowers at the crash scene just before 11.30am on Monday.
Ms Hampton wept as she expressed her grief, and her love for the driver and his family.
“My love to family of the driver as well because I know that they will be suffering a lot throughout this time, just as much as we are,” Nicole said.
“My heart goes out for everyone that’s involved. My heart goes out even to the driver because it’s a silly mistake that kids make sometimes.
“And the other vehicle as well.”
She described Byron as a hard worker who was working towards an apprenticeship while completing school.
The single mother-of-five said it had been a hard few years for the family after Byron’s dad died several years ago.
Byron had two young sisters, aged 4 and 10, a younger brother, 13, and an older brother, 18.
“He was a lovely boy,” his mother said.
“He’ll be missed by his brothers and sisters a lot. They’re struggling.”
She said her son only got in the car minutes before it crashed to avoid having to take public transport in the rain.
He did not know it was an allegedly stolen vehicle.
Byron’s aunty Renee on Monday broke the news to her children that one of their favourite cousins had died.
“He cared a lot for his family and this friends,” she said.
“Byron will be deeply missed.
“My children, I’ve got to go tell them what’s happened. They thought the world of him.
“He was a lovely boy. He was caring and he loved his cousins and his siblings.”
The second victim of the crash — Jordy, 18, of Cranbourne — is being mourned by her former school, McClelland College, with principal Amadeo Ferra saying there was a meeting to ensure devastated students and staff were coping as news of her death spread.
“Our school community is deeply saddened by this news,” Mr Ferra said.
“We’re doing everything we can today to support anyone who might be affected.”
Jordy’s aunt, Erin Kirkwood, wished her niece could see how many people cared about her.
“Not a single person you came into contact with wasn’t touch (sic) by your soul in one way or another,” she said.
“You were always worried that no one liked you but if you could only see how much love you have.
“You will be so sadly missed by us all. You always lit up the room with your presence.”
Byron’s grieving friends also gathered at the scene to pay tribute yesterday morning.
“He cared about his friends and family more than anything,” friend Grace Hansen told the Herald Sun.
“He had a good heart.
“Everyone’s really upset and shocked because most of us had just seen him last week and you never expect stuff like this to happen.”
Other devastated friends and family expressed their grief at the loss of the two young victims.
“RIP my baby cousin,” Aimee Thompie wrote on Facebook about Byron.
“You had only just turned 16.”
A friend of Byron said he had “a good heart”.
Carla Tepania wrote: “Rest peacefully … you were both way too young. Love and light.”
A friend of Jordy told the Herald Sun he was still trying to wrap his head around the senseless tragedy.
“She had the biggest heart and wanted nothing more than to see everyone around her happy,” Nathanial James Elliot said.
“We both started school on the first day of high school, both in year 8, she was like a big sister she supported me through everything,” Tegan Malone said.
“She was like my protector pretty much, she would always protect me when I was going through stuff and literally never stopped being there for me and everybody else.
“She was the brightest person, she was, she would always make you laugh that’s for sure.”
“I met her through the car scene, I sold a car to one of her friends and then became friends through that,” Nicole Campbell said.
“Ever since the second time I ever met her we were just close friends from then on, and she’d always been there for me through everything.
“It was only last night that she was messaging me asking me what I was doing and asking to see me and stuff and now this.”
HOW THE CRASH UNFOLDED
A Lynbrook family in the second car — a 39-year-old woman and two girls aged six and nine — was treated for injuries after the smash just after 4pm on Sunday.
A witness gave chase when the driver of the light blue Commodore tried to flee the scene on the South Gippsland Highway, near Camms Rd.
Witnesses told how the Commodore collided with the oncoming family car.
The driver’s side of the Commodore was completely smashed.
The Herald Sun understands there were indications the Commodore was being driven erratically, well before the Cranbourne impact.
One veteran officer said there were an alarming number of young men who seemed to think driving was a video game, with no real consequences for mistakes.
“There’s a type of late-teen, early-20s driver who just seem to think Grand Theft Auto is reality,” he said.
Major collision investigation unit detectives will try to piece together every minute from the time the car was stolen to the moment of the crash.
Toxicology tests on the driver’s blood will be a crucial element of the inquiry.
The car was stolen from Frankston early on Sunday morning as its owner put the cat out.
“There was a very small window of opportunity,” a source said.
At some stage during the day, it was fitted with false plates and driven around the outer southern suburbs and to Hastings.
Witness Dean Mercieca described how his friend then restrained the driver as he allegedly tried to flee.
“One of my mates captured him down there and the cops arrested him,” Dean Mercieca said.
“After he brought him down, he was losing it … and he was saying it could’ve ended much worse.”
Dramatic footage appeared to show a handcuffed man on the ground surrounded by police after the crash.
Victoria Police assistant commissioner Stephen Leane told 3AW there was always a risk, but the decision made by a passer-by to stop the driver leaving the scene was “a good outcome”.
He said the driver was not the owner of the car and tragically all the four passengers — who were not related, but known to each other — had made the decision to get in.
He said there were still grave concerns for the 17-year-old girl who was pulled from the wreck, with family and friends called to her hospital bedside.
Cranbourne locals Logan Koffman and Mr Mercieca were sitting in a McDonald’s restaurant opposite the crash scene.
“We were just sitting in there, and I just heard a massive bang,” Mr Koffman said.
“I’ve never heard anything as loud and then everyone just looked outside.
“I really have no words to describe what’s happened, it just happened in a blur, to be honest.”
Another witness, who asked not to be named, said she rushed to help the mother in the Captiva.
“She was trying to tell me what had happened but I told her to just calm down and told her kids were OK,” the witness said.
“She was extremely worried about her two kids and her hands were shaking.
“The kids can’t have been old, I saw kid seats in the back of the car.
“I was trying to get people over to her to help her, I told her just breath just breath, they’re coming.
“She was the last to be taken away after about an hour, I was trying to find something warm for her and to shield her from the rain because she said she was cold.”
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Mariella Kennedy was driving past the site of the crash when she saw a firefighter giving CPR to a person on the ground.
“It was really distressing,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve come across such a scene.”
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating the crash.
The deaths take this year’s road toll to 181 lives lost, compared to 120 at the same time last year.
Anyone who witnessed the crash, or with dashcam footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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