Relatives of a NSW grandfather killed in a head-on crash have celebrated as a judge found the other driver guilty of manslaughter.
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Darren Hill, 45, was driving a small hatchback around a sweeping left bend on the Central Coast in January 2019 when he was struck head-on by a stolen four-wheel-drive being driven on wrong side of the road.
The security guard died on Wyong Road, Tumbi Umbi, with the impact of the crash pushing his car back more than 20 metres.
Data in the 4WD's black box showed that it reached 120km/h five seconds before impact, slowing to just under 100km/h over the next three seconds and then colliding at 73km/h.
The brake was only applied one second before the crash.
After a trial without a jury, Judge Stephen Norrish on Tuesday found Sam Conway guilty of manslaughter, having decided beyond reasonable doubt that the Killarney Vale man was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
Conway, who was 27 at the time, was also found guilty of failing to stop and assist after an impact causing death and taking a car without the owner's consent.
"It is clear the accused fled the scene without any regard to Mr Hill's welfare," the Downing Centre District Court judge said.
A large group of Mr Hill's relatives exclaimed and hugged each other upon learning of the verdicts, with one uttering "yes" and weeping.
Conway appeared unmoved as he watched the verdict via video link from prison.
Judge Norrish said the accused had made a series of "self-serving, deliberate misstatements" about the crash and clearly went out of his way in police interviews to frame himself in the best possible light.
Conway initially denied being in the car or ever being in a crash.
Once police pointed out he'd driven the 4WD through a takeaway restaurant 45 minutes before the crash and lost his sunglasses in the fatal crash, he admitted being in the car.
But he cast another person as the driver at the time of impact and concocted a "preposterous" story about a conspiracy against him, the judge said.
The lies included that the fictional driver had held onto his wallet out of a desire to implicate him in a crime.
"O, what a tangled web we weave when we set out to deceive," the judge said, quoting Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott.
Conway pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other driving charges.
He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in early 2021.
Australian Associated Press