‘Never forgive’: Child’s vow after deadly crash that killed two children

A child says she can ‘never forgive’ the driver in a horrific crash that injured her and left two children dead after a dangerous drag race on a busy road.

A girl says she can “never forgive” the driver in a horrific crash that left her injured and two children dead following a dangerous drag race on a busy road.

Jimmy Martin Brito, 34, reached speeds of more than 140km/h while drag racing along The Grand Parade in Monterey, in Sydney’s south, before 10pm on August 25, 2023.

In a video taken by a child inside Brito’s car moments before the deadly collision, children can be heard squealing while the car engine revs.

CCTV from a nearby house captured the moment Brito lost control of the blue Subaru and crossed over two lanes of traffic onto the wrong side of the road before crashing into a tree.

Jimmy Martin Brito has been jailed over a horrific crash in Sydney’s south in 2023. Picture: NewsWire / Rocco Fazzari

Two young boys, aged 9 and 10, were killed in the crash and a nine-year-old was injured.

Brito was sentenced in the NSW District Court on Thursday over the deadly crash after pleading guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of causing bodily harm by misconduct.

Judge John Pickering told the court that Brito had been involved in “an ad hoc street race in truly one of the busiest areas of Sydney” that resulted in “sheer, utter destruction”.

“It is in some ways a miracle that only two people died in the collision, as horrendous as that clearly is,” he said.

Brito had “truly abandoned his responsibility as a driver” and was driving in a “competitive show-off fashion” when he reached speeds of more than 140km/h while darting through traffic on the busy road, Judge Pickering found.

Two children, aged nine and 10, died and one nine-year-old child was injured.

The car was completely destroyed when it crashed into a tree. Picture: Nine

The excessive speed and reckless driving put families, pedestrians and other drivers at risk during a busy Friday night in the area, the court was told.

He said the three children in Brito’s car “had no concept of the danger they had been put into by Brito” and “because of their age and size, they had no ability to do anything about it”.

“Therefore they were really vulnerable to his behaviour. They were completely reliant on him driving in a responsible fashion,” Judge Pickering said.

“He must have known that his degree of driving was so poor that inevitably the people most at risk were three young persons.”

The nine-year-old girl who survived the crash told police: “We were racing … (Brito) was driving too fast. He said he wouldn’t crash but then he slipped off the road and crashed.”

She told the court that watching two of her best friends die in the collision had “changed her life forever”.

“I’ll never be able to forgive him for what he has done,” she wrote in an emotional victim impact statement.

The court was told Brito had been drag racing at speeds of more than 140km/h before the fatal crash.

The impact of the crash was so forceful that the engine flew out of the car bonnet.

The parents of the boys also provided statements to the court that said they had been “robbed” of their future by Brito’s “selfish acts”.

Brito had shown remorse and regret for his actions and had endured anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and “significant self loathing” since the crash, the court was told.

The judge said there was no evidence Brito had been affected by alcohol or drugs, and it was “unlikely” he would “ever behave in a fashion like this again”.

He was sentenced to 11 years and six months behind bars with a non-parole period of eight years.

With time served, he will be eligible for parole on August 25, 2031.

Police allege Brito was racing Adam Yurun, 24, at the time of the fatal crash.

The deadly crash was captured by the surveillance camera of a nearby house.

The chilling footage shows the moment of impact.

Mr Yurun has pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting manslaughter and will face a trial later this year.

The Crown prosecutor noted Brito gave a statement to police “putting the blame on Mr Yurun for starting the race”.

Judge Pickering took into account that Brito agreed to provide evidence at Mr Yurun’s trial and discounted Brito’s sentence by 10 per cent.

Brito received a further 25 per cent discount for entering an early guilty plea to the charges.

Originally published as ‘Never forgive’: Child’s vow after deadly crash that killed two children