A legal technicality has prevented a family from reading a victim impact statement about a Canberra man,  found dead more than two years ago just south of Batemans Bay.

56 year old Peter Keeley was found dead near a beach in February 2020 after going to the region to meet one of three teenagers, as arranged on the “Grindr” dating app.

The trio has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Two were acquitted,   while the trial of a third person was vacated after he pleaded guilty to assault.

During Wednesday’s proceedings,  the impact statements were disallowed from being read out,  because of a legal technicality in which the court was not dealing with a homicide as the case was about an assault.

Sentencing is yet to occur.