Craig Ramshaw had only passed his test three days before the crash

Craig Ramshaw, 18, from Ebbw Vale was driving his mother's car on a mountain road with five friends at "considerable speed," Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Louise Jones and Kayleigh Parry, both 16, and Katie Roberts and Danielle Caswell, both 15, died.

Mr Ramshaw denies causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard that the four girls, who were travelling in the back seat, were not wearing safety belts when Mr Ramshaw's Vauxhall Corsa careered off the B4560 mountain road near Ebbw Vale.

He was driving for no particular purpose, demonstrating his new-found licence and showing off Martyn Kelly, prosecuting

Their bodies were thrown up to 18m away from the car.

Mr Ramshaw and another teenage boy in the front passenger seat of the car - both wearing seat belts - survived the crash with minor injuries.

The court heard the four girls, all pupils at Glyncoed Comprehensive School had been singing along to a "boom box" sound system in the boot of the car.

Prosecutor Martyn Kelly said: "Ramshaw had been driving around for just three days after passing his driving test.

"He was driving for no particular purpose, demonstrating his new-found licence and showing off.

The four girls were friends at Glyncoed Comprehensive

"He picked up their girls and they were happily singing along to music in the back of the car as they drove in the pitch dark.

"Ramshaw was going at some considerable speed when it left the road, bouncing over and over on the mountainside - killing the four young girls who were ejected from the car.

"None of the girls were wearing seatbelts. There were four in the back and only three seatbelts."

The court heard how Mr Ramshaw had borrowed his mother's car to take his friends for a drive during the half-term holidays.

He picked up his passengers from their homes and drove along the B4560 road between Llangynidr and Beaufort, Powys but crashed near the village of Garnlydan.

Mr Kelly said: "It was a young man's car with a boom box in the back, with a loud stereo system taking up practically the whole of the boot.

There can be few more tragic cases than this one Judge Nicholas Cooke QC

"The four girls were singing as the defendant was driving around the area at about 9.20pm at night.

"He decided to go up the mountain with six in the car but as he came to the brow of the hill he completely lost control down to inexperience and error.

"The car vaulted a ditch and flipped over a number of times."

A trained police accident investigator had driven on the road at various speeds and said had Mr Ramshaw been travelling at 40mph, the car would have ended up in a ditch and not rolled over.

When interviewed by police, Mr Ramshaw said he was driving at normal speed but had somehow lost control.

Judge Nicholas Cooke QC told the jury: "There can be few more tragic cases than this one."