Alexander Campbell spared jail over the Lamborghini crash that killed Sophia Naismith and injured Jordyn Callea

The driver who lost control of his $330,000 Lamborghini, killing teenager Sophia Naismith, has been spared jail in a sentence that left her family “sickened and appalled”.

The driver of a luxury supercar which left the road, killing a teenage girl and injuring her best friend, has been spared jail.

The mother of victim Sophia Naismith slammed the driver’s suspended sentence outside court.

“Our family is sickened and appalled by the sentence handed down over the death of our beloved daughter Sophia,” Pia Vogrin said.

“We cannot accept Sophia’s loss and move on with our lives when the courts have failed to impose a penalty which reflects the gravity of the crime.

“Our family, along with all South Australians, will never understand how you can kill and injure an innocent pedestrian and not be jailed.”

Alexander Campbell, 37, was behind the wheel of a $330,000 white Lamborghini Huracan when it crashed off the road on June 22, 2019.

Sophia Naismith, 15, and her best friend Jordyn Callea were both hit by the car as it slid sideways off the road.

Sophia died from her injuries while Jordyn was left seriously injured and bearing the lifelong psychological scars of being involved in the crash.

Alexander Campbell has been sentenced for aggravated driving without due care, which resulted in the crash that killed Sophia Naismith.

On Thursday, Campbell was sentenced to four months and 27 days in prison but had the sentence wholly suspended.

He was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and his driver’s licence was suspended for a total period of four years and four months. That licence suspension will expire in one year from today.

There were audible gasps from the families of Jordyn and Sophia as District Court Judge Paul Muscat announced the sentence would be suspended.

“This case has tragically highlighted a broken system which is stacked in favour of the accused, not the victims and the families left behind to pick up the pieces,” Sophia’s father Luke Naismith said outside court.

“That’s why the state government has agreed to our request to close the legal loophole and protect the community from irresponsible drivers. We remain hopeful the laws will be introduced to parliament soon.

“The reforms will not bring Sophia back but hopefully they will make drivers more accountable ... and reduce the trauma for families.”

Sophia Naismith’s family and their supporters outside the District Court. Sophia’s mum Pia Vogrin told Campbell he was a “gutless coward … who will always be one of the most reviled people in this state”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Judge Muscat said he was bound by law and precedent in imposing sentence.

“For the Naismiths, no sentence will ever be adequate and that is to be expected,” he said. “This sentence is not a value of Sophia’s life, for that is immeasurable.”

He slammed members of the community who had criticised Campbell for pleading not guilty to the more serious charges.

“Even though the court found you not guilty of the charge, people have decided for themselves that you are guilty of those charges,” he said.

“I do not know how many of them would have read the court’s reason of that verdict. You have been vilified by members of the public for your driving that night, many of whom expressed their views ignorant of the narrow view of the prosecution case against you and the relevant law.”

Judge Muscat said Campbell’s culpability was at the higher end of the range but there were no SA cases in which a driver charged with aggravated driving without due care had been directly jailed.

Campbell left court without commenting but his lawyer Craig Caldicott said the case was a tragedy for all involved.

Sophia Naismith was killed when an out of control Lamborghini crashed off the road in June 2019.

ACQUITTED OF DANGEROUS DRIVING

Campbell pleaded guilty to aggravated driving without due care, which has a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison, but not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, which has a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and causing harm by dangerous driving.

At trial, Kos Lesses, prosecuting, argued Campbell had aggressively accelerated before the crash, leading him to lose control of the high-powered car.

Crucial to the case was the state of the car which had bald tyres inappropriate for the cold conditions and had traction control turned off.

Campbell was also returning from a car show at Marion and had been seen driving erratically in the hours before the crash.

Alexander Campbell's Lamborghini had the personalised number plate “PSYKO”.

Three key players remained silent at trial – Campbell, who had no obligation to give evidence; his wife, who was in the car with him but could not be compelled to give evidence against her husband; and a fellow driver who was in the vicinity and could claim privilege against self-incrimination.

Mr Lesses conceded that despite evidence of nearby drivers hearing the rev of the engines, the evidence did not rise to the level of being able to prove Campbell was involved in a street race.

Craig Caldicott, for Campbell, laid a simple argument – the condition of the car was such that even moderate acceleration could have caused his client to lose control.

Alexander Campbell leaves the District Court in Adelaide during his trial. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mr Caldicott said on multiple occasions that the crash was a tragic accident in which no one was a winner, but that Campbell had not driven to the level required to prove dangerous driving.

Judge Muscat acquitted Campbell of causing death by dangerous driving.

During lengthy sentencing submissions, Sophia’s family poured out their grief and fury in court that the beloved 15-year-old was gone and Campbell was likely to walk from court without having spent a day in prison.