Teen jailed for deadly crash and 'cowardly' assault that left stranger with a lifelong disability

By WILLIAM TON FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS and BURNEY WONG - NEWS REPORTER Published: 07:24, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 07:26, 18 August 2026 Months after a brutal assault left an unsuspecting stranger with a permanent disability, a teenager upended the lives of another family. The 18-year-old was jailed on Tuesday over the death of his friend and an earlier violent episode in Melbourne in 2025.  ‘It cannot be forgotten that a life was lost and another was irrevocably altered as a result of (your offending) over two (incidents),’ Victorian County Court Chief Judge Amanda Chambers said.  The offender watched with arms crossed over video link from prison and did not show any emotion as he was jailed for eight and a half years.  A non-parole period of four years and six months was set. Drunk and unlicensed, the then-16-year-old was speeding in a stolen SUV in the early hours of May 18, 2025, when he ran a red light and crashed into an oncoming car. His vehicle spun out of control and smashed into a pole at an intersection in Tarneit in Melbourne's west, causing the driver, who had been released on probation nine days earlier, to be ejected from the car.  Friend and rear passenger Kevin Lomena-Olenga, 16, was found unconscious half-hanging out of the car and later died in hospital from a traumatic head injury. Months after a brutal assault left a stranger with a permanent disability, a teenager devastated another family in a separate incident  The driver, who suffered pelvic injuries, pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death, unlicensed driving and theft. Kevin’s mother, Bora Mireye, described her grief, saying she cries all night when she dreams of him and questions whether God is punishing her. Ms Mireye created a GoFundMe page after her son's death to help cover funeral costs, with almost $10,000 raised. 'This situation was very unfortunate and sudden,' she said. 'This type of situation is very new to us meaning the more help the better.' Three months before the fatal crash, the teen driver had been involved in a violent assault which left Valentino Arop with a lifelong disability. He admitted to affray and intentionally causing serious injury. The then-juvenile was with five others when they came across Mr Arop and his friends inside a Flemington housing tower car park in the early hours of February 6, 2025.  The 18-year-old was jailed on Tuesday over the death of his friend and an earlier episode of violence in Melbourne in 2025 After an argument, the teen king-hit Mr Arop.  The subsequent brain injury was so catastrophic that the victim, aged in his 30s, was placed in a coma and now suffers a permanent disability, relying on family and support workers for everyday tasks. Judge Chambers described the offending as ‘plainly very serious’ and noted it ended in ‘catastrophic consequences’.  'That you continued to kick and assault (Mr Arop) at a time he was lying unconscious on the ground was cowardly and inhumane,' she said. While the offending occurred before Victoria’s ‘adult time for violent crime’ laws took effect, crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC called for an adult sentence due to the grave and horrifying consequences.  Defence barrister Naomi Smith argued her client would be vulnerable in custody and had endured a dysfunctional childhood, complete with a mother struggling with substance abuse and homelessness and an absent father. He also acquired a severe brain injury from a separate car crash in 2023. Her client, who cannot be identified as he was a juvenile at the time of the offending, had acknowledged the tragic consequences of his actions, Ms Smith said. Judge Chambers recommended the Adult Parole Board consider transferring the 18-year-old, who has already served 383 days in pre-sentence detention, to a youth detention facility to serve out his sentence.