A car thief is set to serve a minimum of seven years in prison following a tragic hit-and-run incident that claimed a man’s life and left a woman severely injured.

Kai Colin Matthew Fursey, aged 30, received an 11-year sentence after admitting to the manslaughter of 30-year-old Ryan William Victor Grafton.

The incident occurred in the early hours of May 28, 2024, when Fursey, who was both intoxicated and unlicensed, crashed into Grafton’s Uber ride, resulting in Grafton’s immediate death.

The courtroom was filled with emotional reactions as Fursey’s family members expressed their distress, knowing he would be incarcerated until at least 2033. “We love you, Kai,” one family member called out as he was escorted away.

Meanwhile, Grafton’s family remained composed as the Queensland Supreme Court delivered the verdict, marking a somber moment in the pursuit of justice for the life lost.

Grafton’s family maintained their composure in court as the sentence was read out in the Queensland Supreme Court.

Sentencing Fursey, Justice Martin Burns said his driving was so wanton that the loss of life of an entirely blameless member of the community was almost inevitable.

Fursey had his foot to the floor of a stolen Ford Mondeo as he tore through a red light in Brisbane’s southwest, hitting the Toyota Camry in which Grafton was travelling at a speed of 114.5km/h in a 70km/h zone.

Grafton was killed on impact. His friend Amelia Vindon, 26, who was also in the car, suffered critical internal injuries and needed multiple surgeries.

The Uber driver, Hussein Ali Mohamed, was knocked unconscious.

Fursey was uninjured. He fled from the scene, running past the stricken Camry occupants and past police officers attending to another matter a block away.

He did not hand himself in to police for another week.

“Such callous disregard for the occupants of that vehicle is difficult, if not impossible, to put into words,” Justice Burns said.

“No sentence the court can impose will ever seem even remotely severe enough to punish you for such abject grief and suffering.”

Justice Burns accepted evidence relating to Fursey’s dysfunctional and abusive upbringing, and took into account his remorse, saying he had “a level of insight” into the consequences of his behaviour.

But he also cited Fursey’s lengthy criminal history, saying his risk of reoffending was medium to high and nothing reduced his culpability for his actions.

The victim’s family left court without speaking to media. They were shielded by Kevin Lawler, an officer from the Salvation Army who knew Grafton.

Representing the family, he said Grafton had attended the Salvation Army church on the Gold Coast for 12 months before his death.

“Ryan was known for his kind and gentle heart,” Lawler said.

“He’d been on such a journey, and we’re just privileged to have been part of that journey. He had one of those special souls, and he was loved by the church.”

He said the family was satisfied that a significant sentence had been handed down, but that nothing would bring back their son.

Fursey was sentenced concurrently for a range of other offences, including dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, receiving tainted property, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and possession of dangerous drugs.

He was marked for life as a serious violent offender.