Driver Who Killed Mother of Four in Crash Jailed for at Least Five Years

A drug-affected driver who killed a Nathalia mother of four in Northern Victoria last year has been sentenced to at least five years in prison. Lance O'Brien, 31, pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death and contravening bail conditions.

O'Brien was on bail at the time of the crash, awaiting an appeal of a jail sentence for other offences, including burglary and intentionally causing injury. On October 2, 2025, O'Brien's Toyota veered into the lane of Vilia Sutherland on the Barmah-Shepparton Road at Kaarimba, resulting in her death at the scene.

O'Brien was sentenced to eight years and two months for the charge of culpable driving. Having already served 26 days, he will be eligible for parole in December 2031. Judge Carolene Gwynn handed down the sentence at the Melbourne County Court, where O'Brien appeared via video link from Loddon Precinct Prison.

The court heard that at the time of the crash, O'Brien was on his way to report to police as part of his bail conditions. Judge Gwynn addressed the victim impact statements made by members of Ms Sutherland's family, including a statement from her daughter Tammy Woods, which showed the enormous impact of her mother's loss.

"On her return, the necessary drive to the coroner's office saw her exposed to remnants of her mother's car and her mother's glasses on the roadside."

"She feels that her life and that of other family members will never return to what they once were and that she will spend the rest of her life missing her mother."

Judge Gwynn also noted that the impact of Ms Sutherland's death would last longer than the sentence imposed. O'Brien's defence lawyer, Aggy Kapitaniak, submitted a letter from O'Brien's brother Myles, which detailed O'Brien's troubled upbringing, including family violence and his mother's dependence on alcohol.

The court heard that O'Brien's mother had introduced him to methamphetamine at the age of 13 and that he had struggled with drug use ever since. However, O'Brien had managed to abstain from drugs for some time and had even worked as a fencing contractor.

O'Brien's criminal history since 2014 includes 13 court appearances for several offences, including breaches of court orders, drug possession, violence, and weapons possession. Judge Gwynn also fined O'Brien $1,200 for committing an offence while on bail and disqualified him from driving for five years.