The family of Canberra man Peter Keeley, who was found dead and bound with tape on the NSW South Coast in 2020, says the past two years have been "hell".
Three young men who are awaiting sentencing for the aggravated kidnapping of Mr Keeley appeared in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday.
The 56-year-old's body was found in bushland in the small coastal town of Broulee on February 2, 2020.
He had tape on his ankles, wrists and head.
Three 17-year-old boys were charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping at the time.
Their identities can not be published because of their age at the time of the crime.
Two of the young men faced a trial in May this year where they were found not guilty of murder.
They had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping.
A murder charge against the third man was subsequently dropped in the Supreme Court last month, where he pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping.
The three men appeared in court on Wednesday for a sentencing hearing, where the defence and prosecution gave final submissions.
Justice Michael Walton denied an application by prosecutors to allow Mr Keeley's family to read their victim impact statements in court.
Justice Walton told the court he made that decision as legislation in the Crime Sentencing Procedure Act did "not permit a victim impact statement from a representative of a primary victim ... to be read as a victim impact statement".
He said he would instead read the documents "for the purposes of expressing any sympathies" that he had for the family.
Mr Keeley's family members angrily left the court when they were told they could not read the statements.
Speaking outside the court, Kerry Keeley said her family had struggled since her ex-husband's death.
"The last two-and-a-half years have been hell scrolling through social media and finding pictures of Peter," she said.
"His children should have been by his bedside when he died and not had to relive the horror their father actually went through when he took his last breath."
Ms Keeley said her ex-husband's death took a toll on her adult children.
"The Fathers Day commercials are on so my kids are exposed to this," she said.
"Everyone is celebrating with their fathers but they don't have their father to celebrate with."
Different defence arguments
The three men were represented individually, with each defence barrister asking the court to consider different sentences for each man based on the role they played in the incident.
Barrister Carolyn Davenport and public defender Richard Wilson both told the court that their clients did not play a primary role in the incident.
Crown prosecutor Nerrisa Keay argued that barrister Clive Steirn's client was the "initiator of the assault on Mr Keeley".
The claim was disputed by Mr Steirn, who said all three men played an equal role in the crime.
All three barristers sought a reduced sentence, due to the young men entering early pleas.
Justice Walton adjourned the matter for sentencing at a later date.
