Teen behind the wheel in horror crash that killed young footballer Nick Campo pleads guilty to manslaughter

The teenager behind the wheel in a car crash that killed young footballer Nick Campo has pleaded guilty to all six charges against him, including manslaughter. The 18-year-old appeared in Perth Children’s Court on Tuesday via video-link from Banksia Hill Juvenile Detention Centre, where he has been since voluntarily surrendering his bail in early November. He cannot be identified because he was 17 when the Toyota Hilux that he was driving rolled collided with a black Jeep Patriot SUV on Farrington Road in North Lake just before midnight on July 13, 2024. There were three other passengers in the Toyota — Tyler Rowe and Josh Jackson, both aged 18, and a 17-year-old boy. They had just left Mr Campo’s 18th birthday party and were on their way to a nightclub. Two people in the Jeep were also injured. On top of manslaughter, the young man pleaded guilty to three counts of driving dangerously occasioning grievous bodily harm and two counts of driving dangerously occasioning bodily harm. The matter was heard by the court’s president Hylton Quail, with the public gallery packed with victims and their families, including Mr Campo’s devastated mother Bianca, who wept. “On behalf of the court, can I express my condolences to all of you,” Judge Quail said. Sentencing is scheduled for May 5 but may be pushed back depending on defence lawyer Michael Tudori and prosecutors agreeing on the facts of the case. Mr Tudori said that as far as he knew, speed was the only issue in dispute. Mr Tudori has engaged an independent crash expert and says his estimates “are not that far off the State’s expert” so he was confident of a resolution. A hearing on those matters is slated for March 20, when the offender will be required to attend in person so he can give instructions to his lawyer if needed. A psychological report is being prepared. Judge Quail also ordered a pre-sentence report by a social worker and a report on what the young man had done in custody, explaining to him that the time he had spent in detention would count towards his sentence. Outside court, Mr Tudori said there were “no winners in this situation”. “He obviously conscious that he’s done an action that’s affecting a lot of people and affected his friends,” the lawyer told reporters. Mr Campo’s older sister Eva Campo said the pleas were “a step in the right direction for justice”. “No amount of sentencing or jail time will ever make what happened to Nick okay,” she said. “We’re just glad that something’s actually happened today.” Mr Campo’s father Daniel Campo has been campaigning for road safety throughout his grief, telling 7NEWS two days after the crash that he wanted it to serve as a crucial reminder and was not angry at the driver. Mr Campo’s team, South Fremantle Football Club, said in a tribute that his tragic loss had been felt heavily across the football, cricket and wider WA communities. “Nick was a bright young man with true talent and a love for football,” the club wrote.