Stephen George Russell sentenced to jail after overloading caravan, causing double-fatal crash on Oxley Highway near Walcha in 2019

Stephen George Russell fronted Tamworth District Court for sentencing last week and was handed a four-year prison term, with two non-parole.

Earlier this year, a jury took less than an hour to find Russell guilty of two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one of causing grievous bodily harm.

Russell cannot drive for three years, starting from his sentence date.

Judge Deborah Payne heard submissions and court documents show she found special circumstances were made out in the case.

Russell will become eligible for release on May 4, 2024.

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The Crown case was that Russell stuffed a caravan with possessions like a freezer, barbecue, photo albums and linen when he and three family members left Tamworth to relocate to the coast on January 3, 2019.

The trial heard Russell essentially used the caravan as a "moving trailer" and overloaded it by more than 800kg when he got behind the wheel of a Toyota Prado and towed it along the Oxley Highway.

Russell began a descent into a valley about 40km past Walcha that afternoon, but when he tried to slow down, the caravan swayed uncontrollably, jack-knifed and the Prado slammed into a tree.

Russell's 72-year-old wife Lynette and his stepson Stephen, who was about a year shy of his 40^th birthday at the time, were tragically killed in the crash.

A third passenger was left with serious injuries.

The horrific details of the crash were unravelled during an almost three-week trial in Tamworth District Court earlier this year.

Immediate family members of the two victims spoke to the Leader just moments after the verdict was handed down, and said Lynette and Stephen will be forever missed by their loved ones.

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