By Rebecca Peppiatt and Ezra Holt
The sister of a teenage footballer killed in a high-speed crash last year is relieved things are progressing “in the right direction” after the car’s driver pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Nick Campo, 18, was the passenger of a ute driven by his friend, a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named because of his age, when it crashed on Farrington Road in North Lake in July.
Nick Campo, 18, was a talented sportsman and played for the South Fremantle Football Club colts side.
The 17-year-old appeared at Perth Children’s Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other grievous bodily harm charges in relation to the crash.
The boy drove at speeds exceeding 135km/h in an extensively modified vehicle that had been modified to have its airbags and a sway bar removed, and the passenger seat facing the rear.
He lost control of the vehicle, crashed into an SUV and rolled on Farrington Road, killing Campo and injuring three other male passengers aged 17 and 18.
The driver and passenger of the SUV, and man and woman in their 20s, were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Campo’s parents, Daniel and Bianca, have since campaigned on his behalf, launching Call Out for Nick to help educate young drivers and their parents on road risks.
On Tuesday, outside court, their daughter Eva said the driver’s guilty plea was a “step in the right direction for justice for Nick”.
“No amount of sentencing or jail time will make what happened to Nick OK,” she said.
“We’re just glad that something’s actually happened today.”
She tearfully added that the family were doing “OK”, but “every day was a bit different without Nick”.
Her parents had previously said they were living “the worst nightmare that you could imagine” after the death of their son, an Aquinas College student.
The lawyer representing the teenager responsible for Campo’s death told media outside court on Tuesday there were “no winners in this situation”.
He said his client, who voluntarily revoked his bail “to demonstrate remorse” last year, was “obviously conscious that he’s done an action that’s affected a lot of people and affected his friends”.
The teenager will be sentenced on May 5.
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