<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The families of two boys killed in a horror crash shared their "immeasurable grief" and broke down in tears as the driver responsible learned his fate.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A man had recently been released from prison and had never held a driver's licence when he caused a crash that killed two teenagers and left their families devastated.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nicholas Thew, 29, was speeding along a residential road in Sydney's southwest at more than twice the speed limit on November 6, 2023 when he crashed into a tree and a power pole.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/exercise-before-bed-linked-to-disruptive-sleep-study-finds/ea0704e3-a865-4d9a-9d41-817c5175e5a2" target="_blank"><strong><span>Exercise before bed linked to disruptive sleep</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The impact of the crash ripped the car in half and threw a 14-year-old boy from the back seat onto the ground metres away.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He and a 13-year-old boy were killed, while Thew and a 23-year-old passenger were injured.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The families of the dead teenagers wore T-shirts bearing the boys' faces and a call for justice to Thew's sentencing in Campbelltown District Court today.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/ashcroft-crash-tears-for-boys-killed-as-driver-nicholas-thew-sentenced/f38c87ef-0434-4c5f-a8aa-b48f5ae9a0c9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a statement to the court, they spoke of the "profound anguish" and "immeasurable grief" they feel as a result of the two deaths.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge David Arnott acknowledged it was an "immensely sad" outcome for the families, who are now forced to live without seeing the teens live up to their full potential.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thew's choice to drive at 112km/h in a 50km/h zone with two children in the car was an abandonment of his responsibilities to his passengers and other road users, the judge found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/island-nation-bans-israeli-passport-holders-in-response-to-gaza-war/94ae8f84-3d88-4ef1-a65f-3faac4e925f3" target="_blank"><strong><span>Island nation bans Israeli passport holders in response to war in Gaza</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the crash, Thew approached both children's bodies but didn't provide assistance or call emergency services.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He told police he "freaked out", and he felt like a coward for fleeing and hiding in a nearby creek before burning his clothes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I could not deal with it," he said when turning himself in to police after a day-long manhunt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I knew I had to do the right thing. I wish none of this ever happened."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Arnott accepted Thew had shown genuine remorse for his actions, but was guarded about his prospects of reoffending.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The court was told the 29-year-old has an extensive criminal record with convictions for rape, assault and wounding a person with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-election-2025-labor-and-coalition-slammed-for-dismal-economic-plans/2c08b250-cd08-4527-b25b-ee64f5ad5880" target="_blank"><strong><span>'Most dismal election for economics' in 40 years, says expert</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He had been released from prison five months before the fatal crash but his freedom was short-lived.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thew was sentenced to nine years behind bars for the fatal crash and, with time served, he will be eligible for parole in September 2029.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judge Arnott acknowledged no sentence could bring back the two teenagers, whose families wiped away tears as the sentence was handed down.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"A life can never be measured simply by the punishment meted out to an offender," he said.</span></div></div>