A GRIEVING Wodonga family say they take little solace from a six-month jail sentence handed out to the sole survivor of a double fatality at Barnawartha North last year.

Billy Christopher Dixon, 25, was jailed at Wodonga Magistrates Court yesterday for his driving in the lead-up to the tragedy.

Despite desperate efforts from rescue workers, Shayne Hausner, 14, and Cailin Deering, 16, died after the red Mitsubishi Lancer they were travelling in plunged into the Murray River at Richardson’s Bend Reserve on March 11.

Shayne’s grandmother, Valda Brooker, and sister, Kerrie Hausner, were in court to hear Dixon had embarked on an eight-hour drinking binge, culminating in a skolling contest, before driving from the camp site “in a cloud of dust”.

But police were unable to determine who was driving when the car entered the water and Dixon’s charges of unlicensed driving and driving under the influence related only to his actions before the crash.

To the disgust of the victims’ families, the father-of-two has exercised his legal right not to assist the police investigation.

Shayne’s relatives said his mother Michelle — who succumbed to emphysema in June, the day after what should have been her son’s 16th birthday — would be pleased to know Dixon had been jailed.

“She took it very hard — every now and then she’d be crying and you’d know why,” Mrs Brooker said.

“She’d be happy that he’s gone away, but she wouldn’t be happy that it wasn’t related to the death,” Ms Hausner added.

They hoped an inquest into the deaths would bring more answers.

“We’ve all had sleepless nights,” Mrs Brooker said.

“But they’ve only got his word he wasn’t driving — it’s up to the coroner now.”

Dixon returned a blood-alcohol reading of .199 per cent at Wodonga hospital after the crash — his third drink-driving offence.

The court heard he told a police officer on the night: “I know I’m in trouble — it looks really bad, but I wasn’t driving”.

Magistrate Peter Couzens questioned defence barrister Julian van Aalst over Dixon’s reluctance to co-operate with investigators.

“It would seem from what I’ve heard that your client has been less than forthcoming in terms of his recollection of any of the circumstances immediately surrounding the car’s entering into the river,” he said.

“My client informed ... the police officer that he was not driving at the time,” Mr van Aalst replied.

“If he can remember that, one would have thought he could remember who was,” Mr Couzens countered.

Police have handed a brief of evidence to the NSW state coroner who may call for an inquest.

In addition to the jail term, Dixon was disqualified from driving for four years and fined $2402 for separate offences involving the breach of court-ordered community work.