Ice user wants to be spared jail over crash that left busker in wheelchair

Lawyers for an ice user who crashed his car into a Melbourne busker, leaving him with a brain injury and partial paralysis, have asked he be spared jail.

George Maranis was driving west towards the intersection of La Trobe and Williams streets early on the morning of February 16, 2016 when his 2004 BMW X5 veered left and into the curb.

Musician, Christopher Timms was collected by the BMW while he was crossing the road and thrown into the air, fracturing his skull, cheekbones, elbow and left femur.

Injuries that paralysed the left side of his body, resigning the then 50 year-old drummer to a wheelchair.

Timms’ teenage daughters have today told Melbourne's County Court, his injuries have driven them to the "point of rage."

"His life, his future, his passions have been stolen from him," they said in respective victim impact statements.

"No one should be able to get away with ruining someone's life."

Timms' father Robert statement read to the court, "Due to his neurological injury, Chris does not understand that he'll never regain the use of his arm."

"Chris has been very depressed since his injury... felt like he has been trapped (in a disabled body)."

Mr Maranis was speeding at 59 kilometres per hour in a forty zone at the time of the accident.

Analysis of the then 28-year-old's phone found that in the 72 hours prior to the crash, the longest period it had been left unused was four-hours and forty-five minutes.

Experts have inferred that Mr Maranis was significantly sleep deprived before the crash.

While Mr Maranis refused a blood test after the crash, he admitted to the court through his lawyers today that he had been using the drug ice in the lead up to the accident.

A letter from Mr Maranis read, "I can not change any of the pain and suffering I've caused, I'm overwhelmed by the guilt... Not a day goes by that I don't think of Christopher."

"I had been tortured for years by the horrible drug ice."

"I will never end up before the courts again," he said.

Defence lawyer, Colin Mandy asked the court to consider a non-custodial sentence for his client, but acknowledged that a term of imprisonment was "inevitable" if Mr Maranis' moral culpability was judged to be high.

"The man you're sentencing is in effect, a completely different person to the one who committed the crime two years ago," said Mr Mandy.

"All he can do is express his remorse, for what it's worth. That might not be much for the family of Mr Timms."

Judge Paul Higham has ordered Mr Maranis be assessed for a community corrections order but insisted, "all of my options are open and I want to make that very, very clear."

Mr Maranis made no comment as he left the County Court on bail.

The 30-year-old will be sentenced on Friday, March 2.