A boy who caused the death of another teenager by crashing a car while driving dangerously north of Brisbane has been handed a detention sentence.
Jacob Hopkins, 14, was injured during the crash in Rothwell in the Moreton Bay region in May 2019.
The underage driver who cannot be named due to being 14-years-old, will be released after serving half of his four-year detention service.
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and grievous bodily harm in Queensland Children’s Court.
The teenager recklessly drove along Anzac Avenue, nearly hitting a young girl by a metre as she crossed the road.
The car, which contained six teens, then collided with another car driven by a mother with her four children inside in Rothwell.
The family luckily managed to escape with minor injuries, but some of the teenagers suffered from serious injuries including Jacob.
Jacob’s family, who were sitting on the front seat during the crash, told the court about the impact of his death.
“Every time I hear sirens I have flashbacks to the crash scene,” his sister said in a victim impact statement.
“My children will grow up not knowing their uncle Jacob.”
After the crash occurred, the driver lied and told police Jacob was the one driving the vehicle.
The court heard he had a troubled upbringing and started using drugs from the age of 10.
The judge said he had been showing signs of rehabilitation since the incident.
“[There is] some hope you can move forward in your life and become a contributing member of the community,” the judge said in sentencing.
Convictions weren’t recorded against the boy.
In a statement to 7NEWS, Jacob’s sister reflected on the sentence.
“While the four-year sentence is significant, no amount of time served would ever be enough,” she said.
“It is our hope that [the driver] takes these four years to genuinely reflect on the impact of his decisions and that he exits the system better than he entered it.”
This article originally appeared on Over60.