Jamie Michael Richardson, 24, was last month found guilty of culpable driving causing death and grievous bodily harm for the crash that killed his friend and faced the ACT Supreme Court for sentencing on Wednesday.

He has since launched an appeal against his conviction, saying members were either wrong, speculated, or improperly excluded his innocent explanation for the crash.

Bev Dunster shed tears as she recalled seeing a shooting star in the night sky the evening before her son, Glenn Dunster, died in the early hours of February 1, 2014.

"I thought at the time, a very bright, special soul has left the world tonight – not realising it was my son," she said in a victim impact statement.

Her phone rang at 5am the next morning with news her 29-year-old son was dead.

"How do I feel? I feel vulnerable, scared.

"It's happened once, will it happen again?

"I feel like life is just pretend, going through the motions. I feel like something is missing in my life."

Richardson had been drinking heavily with a group at Lighthouse pub in Belconnen when he got behind the wheel of the car and drove off with three friends inside about 1.30am.

Minutes later, the car clipped the gutter and later veered off William Slim Drive for about 20 metres before it crashed head-on into a tree.

Mr Dunster, who was sitting in the back of the car, died at the scene.

A woman in the front passenger seat was seriously injured.

Richardson was arrested and later returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.19, nearly four times the legal limit.

He maintained throughout his trial that a female passenger had ripped the steering wheel from his hands in the seconds before the crash, causing the vehicle to veer off the road. That version of events was rejected by the jury.

The victim's mother was among family members and friends who read victim impact statements before Chief Justice Helen Murrell.

His father, Peter Dunster, said his loss was difficult to describe and his life had been shattered when his son called to tell him: "Glenn's gone and he's not coming back."

"I'll never forget those words," he said.

"If I did not have three other children, I think I would have given up. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me."

The female passenger hurt in the crash told of the ongoing physical pain she experienced due to injuries to her head, ankle, eye and shoulder.

Under cross-examination from Crown prosecutor Trent Hickey, Richardson's treating psychologist Dr Michael Barry said while he had accepted responsibility for driving drunk that night, he did not accept responsibility for causing the crash.

He said Richardson had expressed guilt and remorse over his decision, his friend's death, and the impact of the crash on his friends and their families.

Dr Barry said Richardson still had some work to do in regards to his ongoing drinking problems.

Defence barrister Jack Pappas argued while a term of imprisonment was appropriate, it should not be served in full-time custody and his client's rehabilitation should be a consideration.

He urged the court to take into account his client's youth and said his remorse was a sign of his underlying moral fibre.

"It is clear that Mr Richardson accepts if he hadn't decided to drink and drive, no crash would ever have happened."

Chief Justice Murrell sentenced Richardson to three years and eight months in prison, with a non-parole period of one year and 10 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for almost six years.

Richardson will be eligible for release from jail in February 2018.

The appeal against his conviction will be heard at a later date.