Joshua William Armstrong has been sentenced to a two-year intensive corrections order, which includes 750 hours of community service.

He has also been disqualified from driving for two years.

Armstrong faced the Wagga District Court on Tuesday, after pleading guilty at an earlier appearance to one count of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death.

This charge which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.

The Dubbo-based family of 18-year-old Peter Murray, who died in the June 2015 crash on Pine Gully Road at Estella, watched the Wagga court proceedings via a video link.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Gordon Lerve said Armstrong and Mr Murray had been childhood friends, who grew up together in Dubbo.

In 2015, the friends had both enrolled to study at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga facility and were living on on campus.

At an earlier hearing, the court heard Armstrong, a green P-plater, was travelling at 110 kilometres per hour in a 70km/h zone at the time of the crash and, when tested an hour later, had a blood-alcohol reading of .03.

The blood alcohol limit for a driver on green P-plates is zero.

Judge Lerve said on Tuesday he accepted evidence from Armstrong that did not know the speed limit on the part of the road where the crash occurred was 70km/h and not 100km/h.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Lerve said that after the crash, Armstrong, who was then aged 19, had ignored his own serious injuries to seek help for his friend, and had initially declined medical attention, instead directing emergency workers to Mr Murray.

Armstrong’s injuries included fractures to his skull. After the crash, he was firstly treated at Wagga Base Hospital, before being airlifted to St George’s Hospital in Sydney.

Mr Murray died at the scene.

Judge Lerve told the court that Armstrong “came across as arrogant and entitled” while giving his evidence.

The judge said he did, however, find that Armstrong was remorseful.

Armstrong was also unlikely to reoffend, Judge Lerve said.

The incident had a “significant and lasting effort on the offender”, the judge said.

An an earlier hearing, Armstrong told the court: “Peter was my best friend, and he was like my brother, and I just really wish that it was me and not him.” 

Judge Lerve on Tuesday said Armstrong would have suffered some “extra-curial punishment” from the death of his childhood friend.