An Alice Springs man has pleaded guilty to driving while on methamphetamine when he struck and killed a cyclist at Simpsons Gap in March last year.
Stephen Yates was the final cyclist taking part in a Saturday-morning event when he was struck by Birch's car. Mr Yates, 57, died at the scene.
On Tuesday, Birch, 31, pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to dangerous driving causing death.
He also pleaded guilty to several other charges including driving under the influence of meth and non-commercial supply of meth.
Hid 11 grams of meth
The court heard Birch was driving his Ford Falcon towards Simpsons Gap on the Darken Drive access road when he veered suddenly onto the wrong side of the road and struck Mr Yates.
Prosecutor David Dalrymple told the court the incident was witnessed by a film crew and that as a result of the impact, the victim was unconscious and "severely injured".
"The offender moved away from the victim and sat down about 10 metres from the victim; this was after a member of the [film crew] told [Birch] to sit down, thinking he might be in shock."
Mr Dalrymple told the court that after police arrived, Birch asked to use the toilet.
When police examined the tree he used, they found a small bag containing 11 grams of meth.
The court heard Birch was a street-level dealer who was using at the time of the crash and had used meth that morning.
Justice Judith Kelly expressed her condolences to Mr Yates's widow who was in the court with several supporters.
A drive to clear his head
Defence counsel Maclaren Wall told the court drugs had been an issue for his client for most of his adult life and at the time of the crash he was in a "particularly bad state".
Mr Wall said Birch had not been sleeping because of his drug use and had driven to Simpsons Gap that morning to "clear his head" and go for a walk.
During his police interview, Birch said he "wouldn't wish this accident on his worst enemy", Mr Wall told the court.
Justice Kelly was given a letter from Birch detailing his remorse. A letter was also provided to Mr Yates's widow.
Justice Kelly told the court Birch's letter indicated that he had "empathy for the heartache a sudden loss of a loved one will have".
Birch returns to court on March 23 for sentencing.
