Dinner, drinks and a river excursion for a future husband and wife went from happy to heartbreaking after the couple's swerving ski boat slammed into a vegetated bank.

Brendan Faithfull, 40, had been travelling along the Hawkesbury River in Sydney's north when he was seen navigating his vessel erratically and at speed in the evening of February 4, 2024.

At one point, he was observed naked on board.

The 40-year-old faced court for a sentence hearing on Monday over the death of his fiancee, Samantha Jones, who died after the boat smashed into a riverbank.

After taking the vessel for dinner and drinks at the Patonga Boathouse Hotel, the couple had spent two-and-a-half hours winding back towards Windsor.

About sunset and just short of the destination, the vessel slammed into the riverbank

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