Jessica Glennie asks to be spared jail time over horror Victorian car crash that killed her best friend

A Victorian woman who killed her best friend after crashing into a pole while high on cannabis has asked to be spared jail.

Jessica Glennie, 24, was driving with Janelle Noonan-Long in Diggers Rest just before midnight on September 25, 2021, when she lost control of her car.

The driver's side of the Holden ute struck a utility pole on Plumpton Road and the car flipped onto its roof before landing upright.

Mrs Noonan-Long was crushed by the roof of the ute and pronounced dead at the scene, while Glennie had to be taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

She continues to be treated to this day after suffering multiple spinal fractures, a collapsed lung, a miscarriage and a traumatic brain injury.

Glennie cried during her hearing in the Victorian County Court on Tuesday, where she admitted dangerous driving caused the death of her best friend.

She was also guilty of driving under the influence of cannabis.

Her lawyer Naomi Smith said the 24-year-old loved Ms Noonan-Long and was acutely aware she was responsible for her death.

“She made me a better person,” Glennie said in a statement through her lawyer.

“It's hard for me to think of a future without her.”

Ms Noonan-Long's family also made victim impact statements to the court, describing their ongoing grief at the loss of their beautiful, loving souls.

The victim and her partner Taylah Modrich planned to start a family together, but that was taken away from them.

“The loss of Janelle has not only stolen the joy from the present, but has also cast a shadow over the future,” Ms. Modrich said in her statement.

Janelle Noonan-Long (pictured) died after Ms Glennie's Holden ute crashed into a pole at Diggers Rest, northwest of Melbourne

Glennie cannot remember the day of the accident and cannot explain what caused her to lose control of the vehicle.

Evidence showed that the car was in good condition, that the road was clear and that Glennie had not been speeding.

3ml of cannabis was found in Glennie's blood sample after the crash.

Ms Smith said Glennie had been diagnosed with cannabis use disorder, severe depression and anxiety.

The 24-year-old also had a four-year-old son with developmental delays for whom she was the primary caregiver, Ms. Smith said.

Counsel urged Judge Peter Lauritsen not to send Glennie to prison because her already poor physical and mental health would suffer in custody.

Being separated from her son would also be detrimental to her health and the young boy's development, Ms. Smith said.

The prosecutor demanded that a prison sentence be imposed in addition to a community corrections order.

Judge Lauritsen will hand down his sentence in February, with Glennie's bail being extended until her next court hearing.