The family of a sailor killed when a drink-driver flipped a speeding ute onto a Cairns footpath say they'll "never be whole again".
Seaman Colin Hughes died instantly when the stolen ute flipped and hit him outside a Cairns motel in September 2012.
The married father-of-two, who was originally from the UK but lived in Sydney, was part of a navy band and was in Cairns to celebrate Navy Week.
The driver of the ute, Cape York man Treziah George, has pleaded guilty to his manslaughter and causing grievous bodily harm to a passenger in the vehicle.
The 25-year-old fronted the Supreme Court in Cairns on Friday for sentencing but Justice James Henry adjourned the matter until Monday.
George has also pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and driving without a licence.
In a victim impact statement read to the court on Friday, Mr Hughes' family said his death had come as a complete shock.
"We've had to come to terms with the loss ... that we'll never see his face smiling back at us," the statement said.
"We will never be whole again."
The court heard George had been drinking at a park with a friend and was spotted driving on the wrong side of the road on the morning of September 22, 2012.
Footage shown to the court on Friday shows the ute driven by George travelling along Sheridan Street, Cairns North, at 120km/h in a 60km/h zone when it lost control and mounted a kerb.
Crown prosecutor Nigel Rees says the ute flipped a number times before hitting Mr Hughes, who died instantly.
George, who was on parole at the time, received only minor injuries but a passenger in the vehicle was seriously hurt and still experiences pain from his injuries.
Defence lawyer James Sheridan told the court George was remorseful, had a long history of alcohol abuse and suffered flashbacks of the incident.
