A Central Australian man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail after pleading guilty to hitting and killing a motorcyclist with his car and fleeing the scene without calling for help.
Clem Kantawarra, 52, will be eligible for parole in May 2023.
Kantawarra also pleaded guilty to driving while being disqualified from holding a licence, due to a previous drink driving charge.
He was disqualified from obtaining a driver's licence for seven years.
Kantawarra was performing a U-turn on the Ross Highway, leading outbound from Alice Springs, when he hit 50-year-old Thomas Jacko in a T-bone style collision on August 5 last year.
Mr Jacko was thrown from his motorcycle and landed 15 metres from the crash site.
The father-of-one suffered fatal head and spine injuries and multiple other fractures.
The court heard Kantawarra and the other occupants of his vehicle fled on foot and did not make any attempt to render first aid or provide other assistance to Mr Jacko.
Victim's wife tells of enormous pain
A motorist who witnessed the crash called emergency services and other road users attempted CPR, but Mr Jacko died at the scene.
In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Mr Jacko's wife, Dawn, described the enormous pain she felt at the sudden loss of her husband.
Ms Jacko said she wanted to hold on to the values of compassion, generosity, friendship and support when considering Kantawarra's sentence.
In her victim impact statement, she asked how the offender could be assisted in becoming a "better, stronger person who has the courage to create a better future for himself and his family".
