Driver jailed over high-speed crash that killed teenager

Molly Hopkins was killed in a head-on crash on the Hume Freeway in 2025. (Supplied: Hopkins family) The courtroom was filled to capacity with family and friends of both Molly Hopkins and Samara Sabra. (ABC Goulburn Murray: Erin Somerville) The court heard Sabra was driving a stolen Nissan X-Trail on the Hume Freeway about 12:52am on October 3, 2025 when the vehicle collided head-on with an oncoming car near Wodonga. At the time, Sabra, who was 18, held a learner's permit, and 16-year-old Molly Hopkins, from Wodonga, was sitting in the front passenger seat. Ms Hopkins died at the scene.  The 23-year-old driver of the other vehicle suffered multiple non-life-threatening injuries. 'She will never be replaced' Judge Krista Breckweg said the Nissan had been travelling between 145 and 170 kilometres per hour about a minute before the crash. The court heard police first noticed the vehicle about 12:24am, when a man was driving, Sabra was in the front passenger seat and Ms Hopkins was in the back. The occupants swapped positions after the male left, with Sabra taking the wheel and Ms Hopkins moving to the front passenger seat.  Police continued to track the car via the Air Wing. The collision occurred when the Nissan was driving on the wrong side of the freeway. The court heard police arrived within minutes and found Sabra trapped in the driver's seat, with the engine bay on fire. Sabra was flown to the Alfred Hospital with serious injuries, including broken legs.  The court heard no drugs or alcohol were detected. In sentencing, Judge Breckweg said Sabra's driving was grossly negligent and put other road users at risk. "Your driving was outrageous," she said. "I consider the way you drove that car was deliberate and solely your choice, and the way you drove it caused Molly's death. "Molly was a very much-loved daughter, cousin, goddaughter and friend. She will never be replaced." Family describes lifelong grief During sentencing, Judge Breckweg read from victim impact statements from Ms Hopkins's family detailing the devastating consequences of her death. Her mother, Lara Hopkins, spoke of the "pain of losing a child" and told the court she felt mentally drained and physically exhausted while trying to continue to be a "good parent to her other children". Ms Hopkins's father, Bede Hopkins, described his daughter's death as a "lifelong sentence of agony". Judge Breckweg said Mr Hopkins had struggled to return to work, and had relocated and separated from his partner following the loss. "He said your reckless indifference to Molly's life is a torment he can't escape," she said.