In February 2022, Jayden Walmsley-Hume, 21, along with his mother Katie Walmsley, 40, encountered Taj Hart walking along the roadside in Nowra, on the NSW south coast.

Walmsley-Hume purposefully directed their white dual-cab vehicle towards the 18-year-old, mounting the curb and colliding with him, dragging him beneath the car.

Katie Walmsley’s animosity towards Hart had also escalated significantly after her son was injured, Justice Wright found.

The duo were on the run until their arrest on April 7, 2022.

Katie Walmsley helped her son clean out the ute and used fake names to arrange accommodation in various hotels, motels and caravan parks for weeks after the murder to evade detection.

Walmsley-Hume initially blamed the vehicle damage on hitting a kangaroo before arguing at trial he killed Hart, but that wasn’t his intention.

Justice Wright found beyond reasonable doubt the driver intended to kill Hart.

Walmsley-Hume’s young age and drug abuse – including injecting ice and heroin with his father from the age of 13 – were taken into account on sentence.

Katie Walmsley also experienced hardship as a child, and raised her son as a single parent while caring for her uncles and grandparents after they became ill, Justice Wright said.

Hart’s family and friends filled the courtroom, wearing matching T-shirts printed with his photo.

“Hart was described as a person who had a bright future ahead of him, all brutally cut short,” Justice Wright said.

“There is nothing a sentencing court can do the to undo the harm caused by a murder such as this.”

He sentenced Walmsley-Hume to 23 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of 16 years.

His mother was sentenced to 21 years and six months, and a non-parole period of 15 years.