Charles Evans sentenced to prison for killing Alicia Little

After running over his partner and leaving her for dead outside their home, Charles Evans has been sentenced to prison, but could be released on parole in just a matter of months.

Alicia Little’s killer, who left her for dead outside her home, has been sentenced to prison.

A man who ran over his fiancee in a fit of rage and left her for dead in a shocking case of domestic violence won’t spend any more than four years behind bars.

Alicia Little’s family and friends wiped away tears, one yelling out “enjoy your holiday”, after her killer Charles McKenzie Ross Evans was today sentenced in Victoria’s Supreme Court.

With 691 days of time already served, he could be free on parole in as little as 10 months.

Evans, who will celebrate his 46th birthday tomorrow, was initially charged with murdering Ms Little at their Kyneton home on December 28, 2017.

The post-Christmas killing came just two weeks after she had accepted his proposal to marry him.

But in a plea deal with the prosecution before his trial, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to render assistance.

Alicia Little was left to die outside her Kyneton home

The incident came just two weeks after accepting to marry him.

Both charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years, compared with a potential life sentence for murder.

Justice Lesley Taylor detailed a volatile relationship between the couple and how on Boxing Day — two days before her death — Ms Little had decided to leave Evans.

The 41-year-old mother of four told family and friends of her intentions and posted on Facebook “I’m over it”.

“Your four-year relationship had been marked by episodes of family violence,” Justice Taylor told Evans when sentencing him.

Ms Little’s mother recounted a phone call she had with her daughter on the day she died in which Evans interrupted and urged her to invite her male family members over.

“I’m a f------ Evans and I’ll go through the lot of them,” he threatened.

Ms Little later texted her mother: “In the next 24 hours there is going to be drama.”

At 3.41pm, she called triple-0 and requested police attend the house to remove Evans who was drunk and being aggressive.

When police arrived at 3.57pm, they found her critically injured, lying near the outside water tank. An ambulance was called, but despite their efforts, she could not be revived.

The court heard Evans, angry she had called the police, snatched her phone and got in his car. When she went outside to retrieve it, he hit her with the Toyota Hilux while travelling at up to 16km/h.

The family of Alicia Little outside court. Picture: David Crosling

In what Justice Taylor described as “cowardly in the extreme”, Evans then fled the scene.

“You did nothing to assist Ms Little,” Justice Taylor said. “It is the decent thing to do. Failure to do so is indefensible.”

Even more cowardice, she said, at 5.10pm, Evans rang a friend saying he was heading home as he’d received a call from a neighbour to say Ms Little had taken her own life.

On arrival at the house, police observed he was intoxicated and arrested him.

When interviewed, he said he last saw Ms Little at the house as he drove away after she had bitten him during a fight.

“Is she OK?” he asked.

Asked what happened, Evans said: “She bit me. I don’t know. My neighbour called me and I came home.”

But in recorded phone calls with his son from prison, Evans said Ms Little had thrown a big rock at the car, and that he braked on seeing her.

Justice Taylor told Evans he was to blame for Ms Little’s “catastrophic injuries”.

“Your actions caused the death of Ms Little,” she said, but she accepted Evans grieved the loss of his partner.

Ms Little’s family and friends described the victim as a “spirited, fun-loving woman” Picture: David Crosling

Ms Little’s family and friends had also detailed in 22 victim impact statements their devastating loss of a “spirited, fun-loving woman” whose smile would light up the room, she said.

“A close knit family has lost a daughter, sister, aunt and niece,” she said.

Taking into consideration he had no prior criminal history, an “excellent” work history, and “impressive” character references, Justice Taylor jailed him for four years, setting a non-parole period of two years and six months.

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Outside court, Ms Little’s sister in law Lauren Little spoke of their “nightmare”.

She did not hit out at the sentence, only saying “there are no winners here”.

“No amount of time or penalty will ever reverse the outcome for our loved one,” she said.

“Minutes after calling triple-0, Alicia was hit, crushed and left to die by a vehicle driven by her partner.

“She died alone and her injuries were so severe they could no longer support life.

“This was by someone who only weeks before had asked for permission to marry her.”

She said they would remember Ms Little as a “fun charismatic, adventurous, spirit who had an unimaginable ability for human compassion”.

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