A man who struck another man with his car and killed him in Merriwa has been sentenced to life in prison.
Luke David Taylor, 24, ran down William Maker on Baltimore Parade in April 2013.
He did not have a licence at the time and did not stop to provide assistance when he struck Mr Maker, a man he had never met before, who was waiting for a bus.
Mr Maker, a Sudanese refugee, had been yelling and waving his arms in an attempt to get the driver to stop driving dangerously.
Leading up to the collision that killed Mr Maker, Taylor had been revving the engine of his vehicle, squealing the tyres and driving in excess of the 50km/h speed limit.
Justice Lindy Jenkins handed down her sentence in the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning.
Taylor will have to serve 12 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
When he is released he will not be able to hold a driver's licence for seven years.
Mr Maker's sister Mary spoke to the media after the sentencing.
She said she felt sympathy for Taylor's sister because of the strong bond between a brother and a sister and noted that, although the long sentence meant justice would be served, she believed there were still careless and dangerous drivers on WA roads.
“It’s painful, I know it’s a life sentence, people expect me to jump up and be happy that he’s been sentenced to life but it doesn’t change the fact that William has gone, he’s never going to come back," Mary said.
The Maker family remains concerned for William's wife Susan. The pair were married in 2011 but Mrs Maker does not have a visa to stay in Australia and it is yet to be determined whether she will have to return to Sudan.
Mr Maker's father Peter said “although my son will not come back,” he was satisfied with the judge’s sentence.
“All this time I have been looking for justice and I think I have found justice in the judiciary of Western Australia," he said.
“If [Luke] David Taylor’s attitude was good, I would recommend him for release back to his family but unfortunately much of the records have been found negative on his lifetime.
“Much of his irresponsibility is what caused the death of my son."
