00:02Not guilty. It took a jury less than a day to clear the teenager of a charge that he was
00:07driving a stolen vehicle that crashed near Parliament House.
00:11Afterwards, his lawyer said the evidence never proved his client was behind the wheel.
00:16In our submission, the evidence was clear that he was not the driver, and clearly the jury accepted that submission.
00:22The now 16-year-old admitted being in the stolen Toyota Camry, but maintained someone else was driving when the
00:30car crashed on Adelaide Avenue in April 2024.
00:33The court heard the car was speeding when it lost control, hit a barrier and rolled onto its roof, throwing
00:39a 15-year-old backseat passenger from the vehicle.
00:42He later died from catastrophic head injuries.
00:45The prosecution relied on blood found on the driver's side airbag and on the road near the driver's door.
00:52But the teenager told the jury he followed the driver out after the crash, which his lawyer said could explain
00:58the blood.
00:59That other man has already been sentenced.
01:01This young person has spent 16 months in prison for a crime he didn't commit, his solicitor said.
01:07The teenager has been in custody since August 2024 and has previously pleaded guilty to riding in a stolen vehicle.
01:16Today, due to time served, Acting Justice John Burns sentenced the boy to a three-month good behaviour order.
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