Hit run driver goes free
A Victorian man who killed six teenagers in a hit run crash has been released from prison.
Thomas Towle was released from Ararat prison this morning.
He left jail with his family and a community group.
He was sentenced to 10 years with a minimum of seven over the 2006 crash on the outskirts of Mildura.
He hit the group of young people when they were out celebrating a friend's 16th birthday.
Towle had his young son sitting on his lap when he lost control of the speeding car.
He fled from the scene but was arrested five hours later.
The crash took the lives of Shane Hirst, 16, his 17-year-old sister Abby Hirst, Stevie-Lee Weight, 15, and Cassandra Manners, Cory Dowling and Josephine Calvi - all aged 16.
Kerry Prowse, the mother of Shane and Abby Hirst, described the decision to release Towle as a setback after she was slowly getting her life back together.
"It's been a real kick in the guts today because my daughter's getting married and we have sort of been able to live life a little bit again," she said.
"Now I have been pushed back again and just been kicked in the guts again."
Towle had been eligible for parole since February this year however the parole board only met recently and granted his release.
He has been placed under a strict supervision regime that bans him from driving, drinking alcohol or entering Mildura.
