A speeding driver who killed his friend when he lost control of a defective car has been jailed.

Supermarket worker Alastair Hellewell, 26, died at the scene after he was thrown from the Volkswagen Polo when it hit a dry stone wall and turned on to its roof.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that Mr Hellewell was a passenger in the back of the vehicle – but he was not restrained because the rear seats, belts and trim had been taken out for speakers to be fitted.

The car also had an under-inflated front tyre and the 22-year-old driver, Adam Baker, was driving too fast when it crashed between Bingley and Harden last September.

Jailing Baker for 21 months, and disqualifying him from driving for three years, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said it was a lethal combination.

The judge said the defendant was a “model citizen” who was full of remorse.

But he said: “This case is about you causing the death of another human being.”

Judge Durham Hall said the car was clearly in a dangerous condition and Baker’s driving fell far below that expected.

Judge Durham Hall added: “There are no winners. Everyone is a loser, and all would wish simply to put the clock back.”

Baker, of Long Lane, Harden, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Michael Smith said Baker was giving Mr Hellewell a lift home to Harden, after friends had met for a few drinks in Bingley, when the accident happened, at 10.45pm on September 28 last year.

Another friend was the front seat passenger. The defendant was under the drink-drive limit.

Mr Smith said the crash happened in a 40mph limit at the crest of a hill on a winding country road, Harden Road, near the junction with Blind Lane. It was drizzly and the road was damp.

One motorist had seen the Polo “travelling fast” on the wrong side of the road near to the Brown Cow pub. Another witness said the car was later travelling “like a bat out of hell”.

The car hit the wall. The driver appeared to be trying to correct the steering, but the car skidded, rolled and came to rest on its roof. Baker and the other passenger were not badly hurt. The defendant told police he was driving at about 50mph.

Judge Durham Hall said a victim personal statement written by Mr Hellewell’s parents was very moving.

Baker’s barrister, Giles Bridge, said Mr and Mrs Hellewell had adopted an “incredibly forgiving approach”.

Mr Bridge said his client was a friend of the deceased and his death would have a profound effect on him for the rest of his life.