Family of newlywed couple killed in Wantirna crash plead for justice
A heartbroken family has called for tougher penalties for unlicensed culpable drivers following the death of newlyweds Matt and Bita Goland in Wantirna. Their 20-year-old killer shrugged his shoulders as he was sentenced to jail.
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A heartbroken family has called for tougher penalties for unlicensed culpable drivers following the death of newlyweds Matt and Bita Goland in Wantirna.
Chris Goland said his brother and sister-in-law deserved better than the violent deaths they endured at the hands of Eric Victorsen.
Victorsen, 20, was disqualified from driving when he ran a red light and smashed into the couple’s car at 114km/h in the early hours of April 21.
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He then ran from the scene and left the couple “bleeding, dead and dying”, the County Court heard today.
Victorsen was today sentenced to 13 years behind bars after pleading guilty to two counts of culpable driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident.
He was given a non-parole period of eight years, meaning he could walk free by the time he turns 28-years-old.
The young offender shrugged his shoulders as the sentence was read out.
Chris Goland said the gutless thug should never have been on the road.
“We believe, if you get behind the wheel while suspended, culpable driving is no longer manslaughter: it’s murder,” he said.
“A vehicle becomes a weapon, it should be considered as such,”
“Why are we letting these people … get away with murder?”
Helen Goland said the sentence was “just not fair”.
“The judges try to do the most that they can, but it’s the system – it just doesn’t help us,” she said.
The court heard Victorsen had a “shocking” criminal history and a traumatic upbringing.
Judge Geoff Chettle said the young offender was “effectively illiterate” after dropping out of school aged 11 and began abusing drugs when he was just 12 years old.
Mr Chettle said despite Victorsen’s “bleak future prospects” the court must take into account the possibility of rehabilitation given his young age.
“The court has some hope you will mature whilst in custody,”
“Those future hopes should not be crushed,” he said.
Mr Chettle said he hoped the sentence would deter other reckless drivers.
Chris Goland said his family will live with the scar of the tragedy for the rest of their lives.
“The sentence today allows for (Victorsen’s) rehabilitation … our family will never be rehabilitated.”
“We can only hope that the system can change so no one else has to go through what we’ve gone through,” he said.
FAMILY OF MATT AND BITA GOLAND PLEAD FOR JUSTICE
Earlier, the heartbroken family of newlywed couple told the Herald Sun they wanted justice for the young thug as he was sentenced today.
Matt Goland, 38 and his wife, Bita, 32, were eagerly planning to start a family when they were killed by a 19-year-old in a stolen car in April this year.
The Goland family said they fear the “gutless’’ driver will offend again if justice is not done.
Mr Goland’s father, Michael, described the killer of his son and daughter-in-law as a “coward” and a “dog”.
“He killed my children and for this, he will never be forgiven or forgotten,” Mr Goland said.
Eric Victorsen pleaded guilty in the County Court to two counts of culpable driving causing death.
He will be sentenced on Thursday after he stole a Lexus, ran a red light and hit the couple’s Holden Commodore at 114kmh in Wantirna on April 21.
His 16-year-old passenger, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was placed on a community-based order after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.
“They’ve shown no remorse … we need a justice system, not a legal system,” Mr Goland said.
Helen Goland said she hoped the memory of her son’s final moments will haunt the teens forever.
“I hope Matt turned around and looked them in the eye, scared to death … and I hope they have nightmares about it for the rest of their lives,” she said.
The parents last saw the couple the night before the accident.
“They told us they had to go into the city tomorrow night,” Mrs Goland said.
“Friday night was always their night in; they had a standing order with the pizza shop down the road and would just come home and chill out.”
But, instead, the couple drove into the city and spent a night with their friends.
They never made it home.
Mr and Mrs Goland woke up on the Saturday morning to the sound of a car pulling up outside their home and immediately knew something was wrong.
“We switched the light on and there were three policeman standing on the doorstep,” Mr Goland said.
Later, they made the painful journey to the crash scene.
“I needed to do it for myself,” Mrs Goland said.
“I had to start putting it together, like a jigsaw.”
The family has pleaded with reckless drivers to think of their heartache before getting behind the wheel.
“I’d show them what we dealt with at the coroner’s,” Madeline Goland, Matt’s sister-in-law said.
“There’s a picture of your loved ones, those beautiful people just lying there, smashed,” she said.
“Matt’s cold white face … the dried pooled blood in his mouth.
“That’s all you need to stop and make someone think.”
Chris Goland said his brother was the type of guy everyone wanted as a mate.
“If anyone ever needed a tree cut down or work done around the yard, he’d be the first to put his hand up to help,” Mr Goland said.
Matt Goland had been single for a many years, devoting his time to his job as a government IT manager.
“He was an absolute workaholic, but that all changed when he met Bita,” Chris Goland said.
The couple met online in 2015. It only took one date for them to know they were destined for a life together.
Bita, who left Iran a decade earlier, was outgoing, full of life and had a raucous laugh.
“They were so in love with each other and in love with life,” Madeline said.
Matt proposed to Bita in Bali in 2016 and would return a year later for their wedding.
“They were desperate to start their own family … everything was falling into place,” Helen Goland said.