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.

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.

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.

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.

He and a 13-year-old boy were killed, while Thew and a 23-year-old passenger were injured.

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.

In a statement to the court, they spoke of the “profound anguish” and “immeasurable grief” they feel as a result of the two deaths.

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.

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.

After the crash, Thew approached both children’s bodies but didn’t provide assistance or call emergency services.

He told police he “freaked out”, and he felt like a coward for fleeing and hiding in a nearby creek before burning his clothes.

“I could not deal with it,” he said when turning himself in to police after a day-long manhunt.

“I knew I had to do the right thing. I wish none of this ever happened.”

Judge Arnott accepted Thew had shown genuine remorse for his actions, but was guarded about his prospects of reoffending.

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.

He had been released from prison five months before the fatal crash but his freedom was short-lived.

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.

Judge Arnott acknowledged no sentence could bring back the two teenagers, whose families wiped away tears as the sentence was handed down.

“A life can never be measured simply by the punishment meted out to an offender,” he said.