A RIVERINA family has finally received justice seven years after the death of a loved one, whose life could have been saved had a friend called triple-0.
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Tracy Lee Dowling, 41, of Young, appeared in Wagga District Court on Monday where she was sentenced to seven years' jail for leaving 20-year-old Luke Doyle to die outside her house after he overdosed on drugs in March 2012.
Dowling had pleaded not guilty, but in 2018 she was convicted of manslaughter by criminal negligence.
During her trial last year, the court heard that she assumed a duty of care over Mr Doyle, from Cootamundra, when she drove him to her place on March 13, 2012.
At the time, Mr Doyle was overdosing on drugs and his condition was deteriorating.
Dowling, however, did not take him to the hospital but left him in the car and did not call triple-0.
The night before his death, Mr Doyle, Dowling, and a mutual friend obtained an unknown amount of Xanax tablets in Young.
The following morning, Mr Doyle's dead body was found at the foot of the red ute.
A post-mortem revealed Mr Doyle's cause of death to be multi-drug toxicity.
Outside of court on Monday, Mr Dowling's mother, Alison Bailey, cried as she spoke about the outcome.
"We just want to let Luke rest and someone's paid for not calling triple-0," Ms Bailey said.
"At least we got a little bit of justice.
"Nothing will ever be enough to bring him back, but it's [sentence] better than what we expected."
The victim's sister, Ashley Bailey, said the family wanted people to remember Mr Doyle as a good person.
"He was such a good person and that's how we want him to be remembered," she said.
Earlier in the hearing, Judge Gordon Lerve said the victim was "obviously a well-loved and sorely missed member of the family".
"The victim impact statements are a stark reminder of why the felonious taking of a human life has always been regarded by the law as a most serious crime," he said.
"Many tears have been shed already and many more are yet to be shed for the death of Luke Doyle."
Judge Lerve said Dowling had good prospects of rehabilitation and that she was unlikely to re-offend.
As Dowling was sentenced, she broke down in tears. She will be eligible for parole in February 2024.
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