No jail for 'disconnected brakes' fatal

A man who disconnected the rear brakes of his car has escaped a prison term for killing an Adelaide woman in a crash, three years ago.

The District Court heard that Rhys Enar Parker, 27, of Aldinga Beach had disconnected the brakes more than a month before the fatal crash at Lonsdale.

Parker's car hit the side of another, driven by 72-year-old Beth Latz, who died instantly.

Sentencing Parker to two years and 10 months in jail, Judge David Lovell told Parker that disconnecting the brakes was an "act of stupidity" that he would "have to live with for the rest of his life".

The court had been told that Parker lied to police when confronted with the braking issue.

Judge Lovell suspended the jail sentence, noting that Parker was young, had no previous convictions and had begun rehabilitation.