The BMW landed on Yaverland Beach on the Isle of Wight

Maximillian Young, from west London, died at Yaverland Beach, Isle of Wight, on 24 July last year.

His father Charles suffered two broken ribs and a broken pelvis.

Paul Cambray, 45, from Great Preston Road, Ryde, denies charges of causing death by dangerous driving, dangerous driving and unlawful wounding.

The sole cause of this accident was the defendant's terrible driving David Bartlett prosecutor

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that Mr Cambray told police his foot slipped from the brake to the accelerator, causing the F-registration BMW automatic car to drive over a 9ft footpath and fly off an 11ft high sea wall, landing on the beach below.

David Bartlett, prosecuting, described how the car landed on Maximillian and his father, who were visiting the island from their home in Fulham, west London.

Mr Bartlett said: "The sole cause of this accident was the defendant's terrible driving.

'Low-ability driver'

"Without warning, a silver BMW 535i saloon car appeared over the top of the sea wall and fell on top of them, colliding with Mr Young and Maximillian, and it was those two that took the full brunt of the fall of that car.

"Mr Young ended up being trapped underneath the car and Maximillian was thrown out from behind the car and suffered fatal injuries."

Mr Bartlett said that Cambray had been learning to drive since January 2004 but his driving instructor, Ian Smith, had said that he was a "nervous", "low-ability" driver who needed about 60 hours' tuition before he was ready to pass his test.

Mr Bartlett said that, about a month prior to the incident, Mr Cambray, again driving unsupervised in the BMW car, had had another accident when he stalled three times on a hilly road as he waited to turn right and rolled back into the car behind.

The trial continues.