A teenage boy who caused a crash that killed three women and injured a fourth while speeding in a stolen car has been sentenced to six years' detention.

Nurse Sheree Robertson, 52, Kelsie Davies, 17, and pastor Michale Chandler, 29 were killed after their vehicles collided after being struck by a stolen car driven by the youth.

A fourth woman, Kaylah Behrens, 23, was critically injured.

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Friends and family of the victims filled the Maroochydore District Court today, as District Judge Gary Long concluded a sentencing hearing for the youth that began in November.

Judge Long said the youth's offending resulted in catastrophic events and "horrendous consequences from your egregious behaviour".

The youth, now aged 14, of Bundaberg, appeared via video link from custody wearing a white long-sleeved formal shirt.

The youth previously pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing three deaths and grievous bodily harm while speeding.

He also pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, stealing and unlicensed driving.

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The youth with other juveniles stole a Mercedes-Benz from a Maryborough home on April 30, 2023 and drove at speeds between 180 and 200km/h.

Judge Long said the alleged co-offenders argued with the youth and exited the vehicle after saying they feared for their lives due to his driving.

The youth was seen crossing double lines and passing within a metre of other vehicles during 10 minutes of driving that covered about 12km.

The youth hit the back of the victims' Holden Astra sedan, forcing it into oncoming traffic.

Judge Long said a Mazda 2 vehicle, driven by Robertson returning home from a hospital shift and travelling in the opposite lane, had no chance to avoid the victims before a fatal collision.

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The youth was found at the scene curled up on the ground.

"You were crying and complaining that your foot was hurting. You said you were hurt everywhere but there were no observable injuries," Judge Long said.

The teen driver at a police station told a youth justice worker he had been "driving mad and angrily" and smacked into the back of car before hitting a tree.

"It was a dumb thing to do. I was angry about the argument with my friend," the youth said at the time.

Judge Long said Behrens suffered life-threatening, extensive and significant injuries requiring lengthy treatment and has been left with ongoing health impacts.

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Judge Long said no sentence could undo the "grave losses and impacts that have resulted from this offending".

The youth had been involved with child protection services since the age of eight and had been exposed to serious domestic violence and drug use.

Judge Long said he had to take this background into account, as well as the youth's cognitive impairment from a traumatic brain injury that affected his rational decision-making and impulse control.

The youth had convictions recorded and will be released after a little more than two years, after serving 60 per cent of the detention period and already spending 583 days in custody.

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A coronial inquest has begun into the death of a wheelchair-using amputee, who likely died while police and paramedics argued over whether they were able to force their way into his house.

In February 2020, David Low was alone at home when he called his NDIS carer for help. 

Concerned about his wellbeing, the carer called triple zero. 

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Paramedic Darryl Sparrow arrived at the Adelaide home at 4.20pm but didn't force his way inside despite the carer's insistence that Low was in there.

When police arrived, they were told it was up to the ambulance service to act.

The officers and the paramedic were then each involved in phone calls going higher and higher up the chain, allegedly arguing as the minutes went by.

The paramedic said he needed evidence Low was inside to activate his powers to break in, while police said they couldn't do it because it was a medical case.

READ MORE: Teen driver behind crash that killed three women sentenced to six years' detention

The coroner was today told that both were wrong.

It was not until 5.23pm that Low's daughter arrived with a key and discovered her father dead inside.

A medical expert is expected to testify that Low likely died while the confusion played out outside.

Whether the rights of entry policies need to be updated, or whether there needs to be better training for frontline services will be central to the inquest.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Parts of Australia are likely to be hit by thunderstorms in the next few days, capping off a hot and humid start to the first week of summer.

Thunder and lightning could roll into north-east NSW and southern inland Queensland as soon as today, with meteorologists eyeing off severe thunderstorm warnings.

It is a different story in Victoria, where residents can expect a warm night with clear conditions.

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Temperatures will climb and conditions will become "hot and unsettled" tomorrow across the centre and the south-east of Australia.

Meteorologist Jonathan How said two main factors will influence the conditions, including a high pressure system in the Tasman Sea which will bring down the heat to the interior and a surface trough which will bring down humidity from the tropics.

"The heat and humidity will combine," How said.

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"By the afternoon we will see widespread rain, storms and showers across South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

"Broad areas could see severe thunderstorms."

Showers are expected for the east and the north, while windy conditions are likely across Western Australia as the next high pressure system moves in.

A few showers can be expected along the east coast of Queensland on Friday, mostly north of about Hervey Bay, while heavy falls in the Tropics including for Cairns.

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"We will also see thunderstorms for inland parts, although they won't be as widespread compared to the last few days," How said.

"Severe thunderstorms are possible for the southern Maranoa and Warrego.

"Heavy falls are possible about the Gulf Country."

Temperatures will be a little bit warmer than the last few days, with a partly cloudy and a top of 29 degrees expected for Brisbane tomorrow.

Meanwhile How said NSW will experience "hot and unsettled" conditions tomorrow.

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"It will be clear to start the morning, then into the afternoon showers and thunderstorms will become quite widespread across most of the state, except for the far north-east," he said.

How said Victoria will experience "hot, humid and unsettled" conditions tomorrow, with thunderstorms developing in the west into the afternoon.

A hot day is in store for Melbourne tomorrow, with the possibility of a late shower or storm.

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A warm day is in store for Tasmania with a few showers developing from the north into the afternoon.

How said there will be tropical conditions with heat and humidity starting to build and pour down from the north.

There will be cooler conditions on Western Australia's coast tomorrow, while heatwave conditions are likely for the inland Pilbara with temperatures climbing up into the mid-40s in some locations.

Across northern Australia, heatwave conditions continue across the western Kimberley tomorrow, while showers and storms are predicted for the Top End and up into Queensland.

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The man was rushed to Middlemore Hospital but succumbed to his gunshot injuries.

More mysterious black spheres have washed up in Sydney, prompting a local council to start a clean-up operation.

A member of the public called Sutherland Shire Council about ball-shaped debris at the eastern end of Sliver Beach at Kurnell in the city's south on Tuesday.

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (NSW EPA) officers collected samples for analysis which will be tested and compared to others found in the last two months.

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"The debris varies in size, shape and colour with some rounded and golf ball size while larger ones are more irregular in shape," a NSW EPA spokesperson said in a statement.

"They range in colour from whitish or pale through green, grey and black.

"This is a much smaller event than the incident in Sydney's eastern suburbs in October, with fewer balls over a smaller area."

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Authorities have inspected nearby beaches and have not found any further debris.

The NSW EPA said Sydney Water officers found a small number of balls across Botany Bay at Dolls Point Beach, which were immediately cleaned up.

"The EPA has finalised testing on ball-shaped debris that washed up on beaches in Sydney's Eastern suburbs in October, confirming earlier results that indicate their origin is likely a source that releases mixed waste," a spokesperson said.

"Experts could not determine where the balls originated from as no source samples were available for comparison.

"The EPA is awaiting results of testing on debris balls which washed up in Kiama in November."

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He said he planned to harm children because his family was being taken advantage of.

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Notorious wife-killer Chris Dawson has challenged a guilty verdict for sexual activity with one of his teenage students after losing a bid to appeal his murder verdict.

The 76-year-old was convicted at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court in June 2023 of a historical charge of carnal knowledge as a teacher of a girl older than 10 and younger than 17.

His total sentence for the charge was mostly subsumed into his full 24-year sentence for murdering his wife Lynette Dawson in January 1982, merely adding one year to his non-parole period.

His first possible release date will be in August 2041, when he will be 93.

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Dawson's carnal knowledge challenge came briefly before the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Thursday and a two-hour hearing was scheduled for late-March.

Only the conviction would be challenged as the sentence was "really no issue", his Legal Aid lawyer Julian Stevens told the court.

"The verdict of guilty was unreasonable," the 76-year-old said in a notice of appeal.

Prominent barrister Stephen Odgers SC will represent Dawson in the appeal.

In handing down the verdict, Judge Sarah Huggett failed to take into account evidence of when precisely Dawson had sex with the teen student, the appeal documents said.

In the trial, the former PE teacher admitted having sexual intercourse with the girl but said he only did so after she reached her 17th birthday.

Judge Huggett erred by assuming questions asked in cross-examination of prosecution witnesses indicated the defence case and wrongly applied the burden of proof, the documents said.

The student, who cannot be legally named, was Dawson's motivation for murdering his wife and disposing of her body after he had become infatuated with the girl, the NSW Supreme Court found in August 2022 after a judge-alone murder trial.

His appeal of the murder conviction was thrown out in June.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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