The teenager allegedly behind the wheel during a high-speed crash in a stolen vehicle in Melbourne’s east that killed an innocent 28-year-old has been granted bail. The victim’s family has spoken of their heartbreak at his death. It comes amid a blaze game over youth crime in Victoria, leaving the government toeing a difficult line between insisting its policies are victim focused, while staying the course on reforms intended to keep young people out of the justice system.
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00:00William Taylor died at the scene of Tuesday night's Horror 2 vehicle crash.
00:07His sedan disfigured beyond recognition after allegedly being rammed into.
00:12His family, who flew into Melbourne this morning, today remembered Mr Taylor as
00:17a much-loved son, brother, partner and friend.
00:20Saying he was a quiet, intelligent and thoughtful young man who loved his sport.
00:25They will go on and live their lives without their beloved family member.
00:29Police have arrested three teenagers they say were in the other vehicle,
00:33including a 17-year-old alleged driver who's been charged with fleeing the scene.
00:38The teenager, who can't be named for legal reasons, faced court today
00:42where a magistrate told him the allegations against you are very serious.
00:46Before granting bail, noting police hadn't provided any evidence he was in the vehicle,
00:51let alone driving it.
00:53It comes amid a broader political debate about youth crime and bail laws.
00:57If Victoria has a problem, and we do, it's Labor's problem.
01:01Labor wrote the laws, Labor appointed the judges.
01:04No person that is an unacceptable risk should be getting bail.
01:08That's on the statute books, it's legislation we've passed.
01:12New laws expected to come in later this year are set to increase bail supervision
01:17and take other steps to divert young people from the justice system.
01:20The opposition has called for bail laws for all offenders to be tightened.
01:25We need to end the cycle of catch and release, strengthen bail laws
01:29and make sure we put community safety as our first priority, not the last.
01:33The more often that a young person has contact with the justice system,
01:36the more likely they are to go on to re-offend and more frequently.
01:40A spike in youth crime year on year has also put a spotlight on plans
01:44to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 by the end of the year.
01:49The government is still committed to that target,
01:51and then to raising the age to 14 by 2027, which is recommended by experts.
01:56But it emphasized a lot of work needs to be done before it takes that second step.