Moments before fatal street race crash in Sydney’s south revealed

The stepmother of two young boys who died in the crash said it was clear just by looking at the wreckage why they had not survived.

For six minutes, two young boys screamed as their blue Subaru sped along one of Sydney’s busiest roads.

It is not known if the screams were that of joy or fear or perhaps both.

Jimmy Martin Brito, 34, was behind the wheel with his two young boys inside the car as it raced at speeds of up to 140km/h along the Grand Parade in Brighton Le Sands on August 25, 2023.

As the car approached Monterey, Brito lost control, with the car crashing into a tree and killing two children aged 9 and 10 who were inside the car, while a nine-year-old girl survived with minor injuries.

In the Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, Brito appeared via AVL for sentencing and appeared to sob uncontrollably as footage of both the minutes prior to the crash and the moment of impact itself was played to the court.

In footage captured on a mobile phone by one of the children from inside the car, kids can be heard screaming and a car’s engine is also heard revving.

The boys’ stepmother told the court the wreckage ‘made it clear why they had not survived’. Picture: Supplied / NSW Courts

The moments leading up to a fatal street race crash in Sydney's south have been revealed. Picture: Supplied / NSW Courts

The camera was pointed outside the window as the car overtook traffic.

The car continues to fly past traffic along the Grand Parade as it approaches Brighton Le Sands.

One of the videos, which went for just nine seconds, captured the last moments before the car lost control.

The final video showed the moment of impact itself.

Family members in court gasped and cried as the CCTV footage taken from a Monterey home in front of the crash site was played.

The confronting footage reveals the horrific moment the car loses control, crashes into a tree and is completely ripped apart, leaving behind plumes of smoke and debris.

Footage of the aftermath, which the boy’s stepmother told the court “made it clear why they had not survived”, was also shown.

The court was told how the drive started off as an “entirely innocent” outing.

Brito picked the boys up from their mother’s house to “give her a break” before they stopped off at a store for soft drinks.

After this, however, things took a turn when Brito decided to race an Audi along Foreshore Rd in what defence barrister Taran Ramrakha described as a “serious lapse of judgment”.

Family members in court gasped and cried as the CCTV footage taken from a Monetery home in front of the crash site was played. Picture: Damian Shaw

The woman told the court how she and her partner, the boys’ father, heard emergency service vehicles on the night of the crash and knew “something weird” was happening.

“As we watched TV, my partner got a call,” she said.

“Little did we know that this call would change our lives forever.”

Ms Garrido said they were in a “state of shock” and “nothing made sense” on that evening when they were asked to identify the boys.

“No parents should have to identify the children they brought into this world,” she said.

“We kept asking, did they suffer?”

She said they had been “robbed” of a lifetime of memories with the boys.

“We will never see them grow up … and turn into young men and have their own children,” she said.

“We will never know what they were to become.

“I can only describe this as being robbed due to a senseless act that has affected not only us but also many others.”

‘SHOWING OFF’

Judge John Pickering rejected Mr Ramrakha’s submission that Brito’s actions were impaired by a mental illness he was experiencing at the time of the crash.

He said the defence was “clutching at straws”, arguing that Brito’s “imperfect” driving record was much more relevant than his mental health.

“Speeding is something that is a result of poor decision making, and it happens far too much in our society, but not everyone that speeds is necessarily suffering from a mental illness,” he said.

“He was a completely irresponsible driver. He enjoyed speeding a car and showing off.”

Judge Pickering said whether the children were having fun during the street race was not relevant to Brito’s level of responsibility as the only adult present.

“A child might be excited not wearing a seatbelt too,” he said.

“They’re just not in a position to understand the risk and seriousness of what is occurring.”

Brito pleaded guilty last year to two counts of manslaughter over the August 2023 crash as well as a third charge of causing bodily harm by misconduct while in charge of a motor vehicle and a related charge of organising a street race.

Police say Brito was racing Adam Yurun, 24, at the time of the crash, with the pair allegedly reaching dangerous speeds of up to 140km/h in an 80km/h zone.

Mr Yurun has pleaded not guilty to charges including dangerous driving occasioning death and failing to stop after the crash and will fight the allegations in court.

Brito will be sentenced in two weeks.

Originally published as Moments before fatal street race crash in Sydney’s south revealed