A man who killed his friend in a horrific crash after driving at 76mph in a built-up area has been sentenced, a court has heard.
David Barker, 27, swerved to avoid another car, lost control, and crashed into a lamppost. The impact caused backseat passenger Steven Field, 40, to be thrown out of the sunroof, suffering fatal head injuries.
Barker fled the scene of the crash on Wolstanton High Street in Staffordshire in the early hours of June 15 last year. Mr Field was pronounced dead at the scene just after 2am. Barker handed himself in to police at 5.20am.
Prosecutor Rupert Jones said Barker had been out with Steven and another man the previous evening at pubs including The Jolly Carter in Middleport and The Potters Wheel in Bradwell. They went to Newcastle to buy food, and at 1.57am the three men returned to the car.
Barker drove through May Bank lights, and it was clear the car was travelling in excess of the speed limit as it moved onto Wolstanton High Street. Mr Jones said: "The defendant lost control of the car. The car left the road, hit a lamppost, and rolled. It came to a stop 84 metres from the point where it left the road. CCTV shows the defendant got out of the car and ran away."
Members of the public who witnessed the incident went to assist. Emergency services arrived, and paramedics performed CPR on Mr Field. He had a significant head injury and had lost a lot of blood. He was pronounced dead at 2.17am. The third man also left the scene.
Five hours after the incident, Barker gave a reading of 17 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, against the legal limit of 80.
Barker, of Horton Drive, Weston Coyney, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, StokeonTrentLive reports.
Nick Tatlow, mitigating, said Barker has no previous convictions and expressed genuine remorse. Mr Tatlow said: "His remorse is genuine. It is not merely skin-deep. He has never sought to avoid responsibility. He always admitted being the driver, that his driving was bad, and that his bad driving was the cause of Mr Field's death. His speed was wildly in excess." He added that Barker also suffered a loss, as Mr Field was a close friend he saw almost daily.
Judge Smith said: "Steven was a good friend of yours and you also are living with the effects of what happened. The reason for the fatality was simple: you were driving much too fast. It was around 2am. The streets were largely empty. Shortly before the crash you were estimated to be driving at 76mph in a 30mph limit in Wolstanton. A car legitimately pulled out from a side road. You swerved. Steven was thrown from the sun roof and died almost immediately or shortly after."
Barker must serve two-thirds of his sentence with the rest on licence. He was disqualified from driving for nine years and 10 months and must pass an extended retest before driving again.
