After hitting her car, Brenton Brown left Carol-Anne for dead – twice

2 weeks ago 11

Friends and household person developed their ain rituals for remembering Carol-Anne Jones.

Her mother, Isobel, sprays herself successful Jones’ perfume, the scent summoning the representation of her girl – a representation that includes the horrible circumstances of her death.

Carol-Anne Jones, who died aft Brenton Brown deed her car and doubly fled the country of the crash.

Her friends support a spot for Jones erstwhile they spell retired to dinner, deterioration her shadiness of lipstick and rise their glasses to toast her.

But her death, which came unexpectedly and successful specified tragic terms, inactive haunts them.

Brenton Brown, connected bail and an unlicensed driver, deed Jones’ car connected May 2 past year.

The Nissan Patrol the 31-year-old was driving veered onto the incorrect broadside of Purvis Road, successful Tanjil South successful Gippsland, struck the close broadside of Jones’ Hyundai Hatch and trapped her inside.

Carol-Anne Jones (left) with parent Isobel (centre) and sister Amanda Lawrie-Jones.

As Jones, 59, laic dying inside, pinned by twisted metal, Brown fled connected foot. A abbreviated clip later, helium returned, retrieved his ID from the Nissan and fled again, without helping her.

It’s this callous enactment that her household can’t reconcile.

“What if helium [Brown] stayed astatine the country and called for help, would she person lived?” asked her sister, Amanda Lawrie-Jones, successful the County Court successful the Latrobe Valley connected Tuesday.

“A batch of america volition ne'er beryllium the aforesaid again without Carol-Anne.”

Brenton Brown wrote successful an apology missive helium “ran and hid similar a coward” aft the crash.

Lawrie-Jones has saved her sister’s handprint arsenic her telephone background, and it is simply a comfortableness during hard times.

Brown connected Tuesday pleaded blameworthy to unsafe driving causing death, failing to stop, failing to render assistance and different bail and driving offences.

In a missive to Jones’ family, Brown apologised for failing to assistance Jones arsenic she laic dying successful her car, and told them helium acted similar a coward.

“I’m truthful atrocious for your nonaccomplishment and I tin lone ideate however you each feel,” Brown said successful the missive work retired by Jonathan Miller, his lawyer.

‘When a car pulls up, I regretfully ran and hid similar a coward, owed to fearfulness and panic.’

Brenton Brown, successful an apology missive to Carol-Anne’s family

“When the mishap archetypal happened, I privation you to cognize that I ran to the car and disconnected the artillery and to spot if Carol was OK, but I was excessively shaken to adjacent participate a PIN codification into my phone.

“When a car pulls up, I regretfully ran and hid similar a coward, owed to fearfulness and panic.

“I deliberation astir and regret that each day, and imagination astir it each night. I don’t expect your forgiveness due to the fact that I’ll ne'er forgive myself for the mishap which killed an guiltless woman.”

Brown had a dysfunctional upbringing, the tribunal heard, and helium was exposed to household unit and intersexual abuse, and had an extended transgression past which included driving offences.

During the tribunal hearing, determination were fewer moments erstwhile Jones’ household and friends were not gripped by their mourning, and they often held backmost tears oregon cried erstwhile they work unfortunate interaction statements.

They each spoke of the cardinal relation she played successful their lives, and her generous and giving personality.

Jones was treated astatine the country by ambulance members and taken to the Latrobe Valley Hospital. She was past taken by chopper to The Alfred hospital’s intensive attraction unit, tribunal documents say.

She died connected May 18, conscionable implicit 2 weeks aft the crash. Brown ne'er reported the crash.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Robyn Harper agreed that Brown acted similar a coward successful failing to assistance Jones.

Brown was wounded 2 months anterior successful an unsolved shooting successful the Latrobe Valley area, the Herald Sun reported. Brown did not study the shooting to constabulary and did not co-operate with officers investigating what happened to him.

He volition beryllium sentenced connected May 10.