Young driver sentenced for fatal Hume Freeway crash
Sabra, 19, was sentenced to eight years and two months for driving a stolen car the wrong way and killing her teenage passenger.
Samara Sabra has been sentenced for killing her 16-year-old passenger, Molly Hopkins, in a head-on crash on the Hume Freeway near Wodonga on 3 October last year. Sabra was driving a stolen Nissan X-Trail south in the northbound lanes at about 152kmh when she collided with a Ford Courier near the Bandiana Link on-ramp.
Hopkins died at the scene. Judge Krista Breckweg imposed a maximum sentence of eight years and two months, with a minimum of four years.
The judge noted Sabra had mild intellectual disability, autism and ADHD, but said she would have known the "extraordinary risk" of driving the wrong way on a freeway. Hopkins' family said they would carry the loss for the rest of their lives.
- 16 years old
- Victim's age
- About 152kmh in northbound lanes
- Speed at impact
- 8 years 2 months maximum, 4 years minimum
- Sentence imposed
Why it mattersThe sentence reflects courts taking seriously the consequences of reckless young drivers, though Molly's family felt the penalty was too light given the loss.
AustraliaThe case is another Victoria tragedy involving a young offender and death from dangerous driving, adding to ongoing concern about youth crime and road safety.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
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