Victoria driver sentenced to 8 years over fatal crash — ABC News Australia
In the Australian state of Victoria, a court sentenced 19-year-old Samara Sabra to eight years in prison over a head-on collision on the Hume Freeway near Wodonga that killed 16-year-old Molly Hopkins. The court set a non-parole period of four years and credited 367 days already spent in custody.
As ABC News reports, Sabra pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and causing injury through negligent conduct. The sentence was handed down by the County Court of Victoria sitting in Wodonga.
Head-on collision on the freeway
The crash occurred at about 00:52 on October 3, 2025. According to court materials, Sabra, who was 18 at the time and held a learner driver's permit, was driving a stolen Nissan X-Trail. Molly Hopkins was in the front passenger seat.
The vehicle entered the oncoming lane and collided head-on with another car. Hopkins died at the scene, while the 23-year-old driver of the other vehicle sustained multiple non-life-threatening injuries. Police arrived within minutes and found Sabra trapped in the driver's seat as the vehicle's engine compartment was on fire.
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Judge Kristie Bruckweg said that about a minute before the collision, the Nissan was travelling at between 145 and 170 km/h. According to her, Sabra's driving was grossly negligent and posed a danger to other road users. The court also heard that no alcohol or drugs were detected in her system.
Sentencing circumstances
The judge took into account the convicted woman's age, her early guilty plea, and a letter to the family of the deceased in which Sabra expressed remorse over what happened. At the same time, she stressed that Sabra's level of moral culpability was very high, particularly because she was on bail in a vehicle theft case at the time of the crash.
During sentencing, the court read statements from Molly Hopkins' family about the consequences of her death. The girl's father called the loss of his daughter a lifelong pain, while the judge noted that her family feels her absence every day.
