Court rejects appeal to increase sentence of killer driver

Judges have dismissed an appeal to increase the jail term of a driver who killed five people in a horrific crash. In 2023, Christopher Dillon Joannidis, 32, drove through the intersection of the Murray Valley Highway and Laubuan Road, hitting a ute and sending it into the path of a milk tanker. The son of one of the women who was killed said that "justice was not served". The son of a woman killed in a horrific crash in Northern Victoria in 2023 says he was "trying not to feel defeated" as the Court of Appeal dismissed a prosecution appeal to increase the killer driver's sentence. In 2023, Christopher Dillon Joannidis, 32, ignored several road signs and drove through the intersection of the Murray Valley Highway and Laubuan Road, hitting a ute and sending it into the path of a milk tanker. The crash killed 62-year-old Debbie Markey and four overseas workers — Pin-Yu Wang, Hsin-Yu Chen, Wai-Yan Lam and Zih-Yao Chen, who were from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Last year, Joannidis was sentenced to serve a minimum of three years behind bars for dangerous driving causing death, with his sentence capped at five years. Last month, the Office of Prosecutions argued for an increased sentence, telling the Court of Appeal that the original sentence was "manifestly unjust". 'Justice not served' Ms Markey's son, Daniel Montero, spoke outside the court and said that "justice was not served" for his family and that of Andrew McCluskey, the driver of the milk tanker. "[It] really has taken a massive impact on my life and my family's, and today was just not the outcome that we wanted," Mr Montero said. He said the outcome was "absolutely insane". "This guy killed five people, and it doesn't matter how you spin it, that's what he did," Mr Montero said. "And today they really couldn't give us an answer." Mr Montero said his mother would tell him to put the incident behind him and move on with his life. "I just need to try and move on with my life and try and keep myself with my head held high because that's what my mum would want," he said. "Just live life the way that she would want me to." The Court of Appeal's written judgment, outlining reasons for the decision, is yet to be publicly released.