Warning: this article contains the name and image of an Aboriginal person who has died.
A police sergeant who was told not to pursue a teenager riding a trail bike has been told he caused the death of the young man when he placed his unmarked car in his path.
Benedict Bryant, 47, was found guilty on Friday of dangerous driving occasioning the death of Dunghutti teen Jai Kalani Wright in February 2022 in an inner Sydney suburb.
Judge Jane Culver ruled Bryant should have known placing his car without its lights and sirens activated could have caused a collision which posed a serious risk to the 16-year-old.
Bryant was behind the wheel when he parked the car at the end of a bike path he knew the teen was riding down at speed.
After colliding with the car, Jai was thrown off his bike and suffered critical head injuries, dying at Prince Alfred Hospital the following day.
While there was no evidence the sergeant was intending to injure or kill the teenager, the judge found a person of his experience should have known creating the obstacle would pose a danger.
Judge Culver found Bryant also failed to consider how other parked cars in the intersection would have impacted the boy's ability to see the police car in his path.
"The presence of these other vehicles posed a visible and physical obstruction to the accused ... this required the accused to exercise a greater degree of caution," she said.
More than 40 members of the teenager's family packed the Darlinghurst court room, with dozens of others filling an overflow room.
There were gasps and tears as the judge revealed her verdict while Bryant sat with his head bowed and eyes closed for most of the proceedings.
Speaking outside court, a supporter of Bryant indicated he would be appealing the verdict and said the incident would never have occurred if everyone was "in bed, like they should be".
Principal Legal Officer of the Aboriginal Legal Service Nadine Miles said the verdict confirms Bryant "caused the death" of the teenager.
"This is a tragedy that never should have happened,” she said.
She said it is a historic first for the state.
“It is rare for police officers to face criminal charges when they are involved in the death of a community member, and even rarer for a court to return a guilty verdict,” Ms Miles said.
"We are not aware of a previous instance where a police officer has been held criminally responsible for the death of an Aboriginal person in custody or in a police operation in NSW.
“It is critical that police are held accountable for their actions. The community should be able to trust that they will be safe when interacting with police. It is shameful that the actions of some police officers show this trust is not earned or warranted."
Kylie Aloua, mother of Jai Wright who died after a collision involving a trail bike he was riding and an unmarked police car at a protest in Sydney. Source: AAP / Mark Evans/AAP Image
“Police use force against Aboriginal people at vastly disproportionate rates. There is a particular lack of accountability for police who cause harm to Aboriginal people. The conviction of Benedict Bryant breaks with this trend and is an important step in the right direction,” she said.
Jai's father Lachlan Wright said outside court he hoped the verdict could mark a reset of relations between police and First Nations people.
"If things can change in the future, in regards to relationships between Aboriginal people in this country and the police force, maybe this won't happen again," he said.
Bryant will return for sentencing on April 17.
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