IT is debatable whether five years behind bars is enough for Kyle Barthram.

The 17-year-old killed two much-loved musicians - Joe Scurfield and Keith Morris - when he lost control of an uninsured car after drinking too much. Despite all that he had done, he didn't even have the decency to stop and he showed no remorse when tracked down by police.

But long after he has been released from detention, which will be much less than five years with remission, he will remember the ten to 15 seconds he spent looking at the body of one his victims.

Barthram was taken to see Mr Scurfield's body at the request of the victim's partner, Rianne Abbink, who wanted him to see the reality of what he had done.

We hope that image remains vivid in Barthram's mind throughout his sentence and beyond. We hope it hammers home the devastation he has caused. And we hope it makes him a better, more responsible person when he returns to society.

Perhaps all reckless motorists who kill innocent people going about their daily lives should have to face the consequences of their actions in the same way.

Perhaps being taken to mortuaries to see the bodies of their victims should be part of the punishment.

At least in the case of Kyle Barthram, it is a memory he will have to live with for the rest of his life.