Canberra woman Shakira Adams has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for killing 20-year-old Matthew McLuckie in a high-speed crash in Canberra in 2022.

Warning: This story contains a confronting image.

Adams, 23, pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death and driving a stolen car, after a protracted court process.

A man with pale skin and orange hair smiles for the camera

Matthew McLuckie, 20, was killed in a car crash while driving home from work. (Supplied)

On the night of the crash, Adams was unlicensed, driving a stolen vehicle and was believed to have been street racing with another car. 

She drove to the wrong side of Hindmarsh Drive, travelling at least 177 kilometres per hour when she hit Mr McLuckie’s car head-on, killing him.

Mr McLuckie had been travelling home from his work at Canberra’s airport.

‘He should be here’

Mr McLuckie’s loved ones breathed sighs of relief and cheered “yes” when Adams was sentenced to the maximum penalty. 

Mr McLuckie’s dad, Tom McLuckie, said he believed the court had made the right decision.

“We’ve seen people found guilty of culpable driving charges get one or two years in prison. I think what [Justice McCallum’s] done today suggests the objective seriousness of the case is so appallingly bad, you will do a significant prison term,” he said outside court.

But he said his relief was far outweighed by grief. 

Matthew, Joe, Amanda and Tom stand in a row smiling.

Matthew McLuckie with his brother Joe and parents Amanda and Tom. He died in May 2022. (Supplied)

“Every day is a challenge … I’ve been wished all the best for my recovery in the past.

“[But] I don’t know what kind of recovery people think you’re going to have, because I’m never going to wake up and be at ease with what happened to my son. I never will.

“I will always remember him.”Indefinite driving disqualification

Adams was handed a non-parole period of nine years and will not be eligible for release until August 2034.

She was also disqualified from driving indefinitely.

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said the most troubling evidence was that Adams continued using methamphetamine while on bail, a pattern of behaviour she found made her even “more dangerous than at the time of the offence”.

“I cannot be confident she would not attempt to drive if at liberty in the community,” Justice McCallum said.

“That is a risk that will not be taken through me.”

Justice McCallum said on the night of the crash, Adams had driven “dangerously and erratically” covering 19.5 kilometres in 17 minutes. 

She said at one point Adams had sped through a red light with five other cars in the vicinity.

“Almost every second exposed others to risk,” Justice McCallum said.

The court heard Adams had not slept for a number of days before the crash and tests revealed drugs, including ice, in her system, which Justice McCallum found would have “impaired her driving considerably”.

Adams was seriously injured in the crash and has a traumatic brain injury.

‘Trauma-informed’ hearing

Matthew McLuckie’s family have maintained a constant presence through every court appearance.

His father, Tom, placed a framed photo of his son in the court each time.

Lawyers for Adams objected at one point, but Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said the photo could remain.

“It behoves the court to hold the hearing in a way that is trauma-informed,” Chief Justice McCallum said.Wreckage of two cars, one which is on its roof, on a road after a crash.

Police allege the woman was travelling at a speed of at least 177kph. (ABC News)

At the outset, Adams’s lawyers made applications for her to be declared unfit to plead.

But Chief Justice McCallum said Adams was capable of retaining and retrieving information and could stand trial.

After that bid failed, Adams’s lawyers made a last-ditch attempt and gave evidence to the court themselves, with her solicitor telling the court she was unable to take instructions from Adams.

But Adams pleaded guilty before a trial could be convened, paving the way for today’s sentencing.