An Adelaide man who lost control of a high-powered Lamborghini, killing a teenage pedestrian after it mounted a kerb, has been spared an immediate jail sentence, angering the dead girl's family.
In the South Australian District Court on Thursday, Alexander Campbell was given a four-month and 27-day sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated driving without due care.
But Judge Paul Muscat suspended the term, placing him on a good behaviour bond as well as ordering him to perform 200 hours of community service.
Campbell will also remain banned from driving for another year.
In August, Judge Muscat acquitted the 37-year-old on a more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving after a trial by judge alone.
Sophia Naismith, 15, died when his Lamborghini Huracan mounted a kerb and struck her and a friend before crashing into the door of a restaurant in June 2019.
The two girls had been walking along a footpath at the time.
At his trial, prosecutors contended Campbell accelerated harshly causing the powerful rear-wheel-drive car to swerve severely to the left.
But in an interview with police, the 37-year-old said when he changed gear while accelerating up to the 60km/h speed limit the wheels started spinning and the Lamborghini moved sideways instantly.
Campbell said he panicked as he was unable to stop the car from sliding, even though he was applying the brakes.
At the time he was driving in sport mode with the electronic stability system deactivated making the Lamborghini's handling more unpredictable.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Muscat said Campbell had been publicly vilified for his driving and condemned for not pleading guilty to the more serious charge.
He accepted that Campbell had a deep sense of grief over the crash and empathy for the victims and their families.
But for the Naismith family, the judge said no sentence would ever seem adequate, and that was quite understandable in the circumstances.
"The sentence to be passed upon you is certainly not a reflection of the value of Sophia's life, for that is immeasurable," he told Campbell.
"All that I have said so far reveals that this is indeed a most tragic case in so many ways."
Outside court, Ms Naismith's family said they were sickened and appalled by the sentence and would never understand how someone could kill an innocent pedestrian and not go to jail.
"This case has tragically highlighted a broken system that is stacked in favour of the accused and not the victims," her father Luke told reporters.
