Man drank six pints before crash killed friend

A student who drank six pints in a pub before killing his friend in a 70mph (113 km/h) car crash on an unlit country road has been jailed for nine years.

Matthew Bennett, 23, lost control of his Audi A1 on a bend on Cobbs Brow Lane in Newburgh, Lancashire, in April 2023. The car left the road and crashed into a tree.

Passenger Christopher Tromp, 20 and of Wigan, suffered "catastrophic injuries" and died at the scene, said Lancashire Police.

After his trial at Preston Crown Court in January, Bennett, of Liverpool, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Bennett, an old school friend of Christopher's, was a student living in Liverpool.

They had arranged to meet at a pub in their Lancashire hometown of Parbold for a drink on 14 April 2023, and to make arrangements for Bennett's upcoming 21st birthday.

The friends were seen on the pub's CCTV cameras in the beer garden, where they drank six pints of alcohol.

Police said Bennett carried a bottle of lager as he left the pub before getting into his car, with Christopher in the passenger seat.

Bennett, who already had six points on his licence for speeding, drove to Skelmersdale and visited the McDonald's drive-thru while "under the influence", the force said.

He then headed towards the nearby village of Newburgh on Cobbs Brow Lane.

Police said Bennett was familiar with the rural road, which was dark and did not have any street lighting.

While the field-lined lane had a 40mph speed limit, Bennett was said to be driving at 70mph or more.

At about 22:45 BST, while negotiating a left-hand bend, he lost control and veered on to the wrong side of the road, with his driver's side wheel going over the grass verge.

The car then smashed into two sets of trees.

The force of the collision was so significant that the seatbelt mechanisms were destroyed, and Christopher was thrown from the car.

The 20-year-old passenger died at the scene.

The Audi's engine, radiator, front grill and windscreen were also thrown into the air, with the engine ending up further down the road.

Bennett was also seriously injured in the crash and spent several weeks in a coma.

He pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted following a trial.

At one point in his trial, Bennett attempted to say that he did not even know if he was the one driving, despite CCTV placing him in the driver's seat.

Christopher's family said they had lost a much-loved son and brother, and an "incredibly likeable person" who was "naturally quite academically bright".

Sgt Laura Kendall said: "I don't doubt that Bennett never intended on taking a life that night, but he did know how much he had to drink.

"He called himself Christoper's friend, yet has not once admitted his guilt, forcing Christopher's family and loved ones to endure a six-day trial.

"What happened to Christopher was preventable. Speeding and drink driving is not, and never will be, OK.

"It is dangerous, it is criminal, and it takes lives."

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