A teenager who killed a three-year-old boy while driving his car at more than twice the speed limit in suburban Perth has been jailed for more than six years.
Gareth Tetteh died in November last year after he was hit by Devlin Bartholomew's Holden Commodore SV6 in Aveley.
The court heard the vehicle was travelling on Hancock Avenue at 130 to 134 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone.
Devlin John Bartholomew had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, failing to stop and failing to report an incident.
'You knew you were driving at an extraordinary speed," Justice Joseph McGrath told Bartholomew.
Speeding driver blames youth
The court heard that Bartholomew, who was 18 at the time of the incident and on P-plates, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But he had failed to take evasive action when he saw the boy on the road.
During the police interview, he said he thought the speed limit was 60 kilometres per hour and "didn't think I was going that fast".
But he admitted that he may have avoided hitting the boy if he was obeying the speed limit.
"I didn't know what to do because I'm young," he told police.
"I just drove off".
Parents describe pain
Gareth's mother Vera Tetteh read a victim impact statement to the court, describing the three-year-old as her "precious gift".
She recounted hearing the screams of her daughters who were playing at the front of the house and going outside to find her "only son lying in the middle of the street."
Ms Tetteh described how at the hospital she was "praying and holding onto faith that he will pull through."
She said her "whole life was shattered," by her son's death, and she continued to be haunted by what had happened, including having "horrific dreams".
"No-one has the right to take another life like that," she told the court.
Gareth's father Bosco told the court Bartholomew had not expressed remorse to the family, aside from an apology recently received via the DPP.
This was "too little, too late," he told the court.
Driving ban
Justice McGrath said while Bartholomew had initially panicked after the collision, he ultimately cooperated with police and pleaded guilty at an early stage.
But he said Bartholomew's actions in driving 80 to 84 kilometres an hour over the speed limit showed "total disregard to the members of the community".
Bartholomew, who recently turned 19, has been sentenced to a total of six years and four months.
He'll be eligible for parole after four years and four months.
He was disqualified from driving for five years.
Father wants restrictions on high-powered cars
As he gave his victim impact statement, Bosco Tetteh held up a pair of sneakers he had been planning to give to Gareth when he turned four.
“We’ve lost a son and irrespective of how many years he [Bartholomew] is going to prison for, he comes back to the arms of his parents,” he said outside court.
“All we have are his shoes, clothes, I will keep forever.
“He was loving, he was just fun to be with.”
Mr Tetteh called for a change to the law to prevent young people from driving high powered cars above a 2.0 litre engine.
“If a young guy can sit behind a V6, and be driving, is that fair?
“How can he control the car at that speed?”
