A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death over a horror crash during a police chase that killed Ballarat teenager Jacqueline Vodden.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty by video link at a children’s court on Thursday last week to 10 charges after police withdrew seven other charges.
Eight of the remaining charges relate to the day of the collision at Ballan on September 19, 2017.
Ms Vodden, 16, died after the van she was travelling in collided with a stationary VicRoads truck on the Western Freeway after police activated lights and sirens before attempting an intercept.
In a packed court room, the magistrate read each charge to the teenager during the committal mention hearing.
He replied “guilty” to the seven indictable and three summary offences.
The charges include culpable driving causing death, reckless conduct engaging serious injury, failing to render assistance after a collision, driving dangerously or negligently while being pursued by police and unlicensed driving.
The teenager admitted to stealing a black Hyundai Elantra at Ballan on the day of the collision, stealing a 2015 Toyota Hiace van valued at $38,000 at Ballarat on an unknown date and stealing number plates at Geelong the day before the fatal collision.
The teenager’s lawyer told the court counsel would prefer to have the plea hearing held as soon as possible, given his client’s young age.
The magistrate set a hearing down to be held at a county court on February 26.
