A joyrider aged 20 was killed when a stolen car smashed into a tree.

Dale Lee Grant, of Stirling Crescent, Holme Wood, died from head injuries after the car he was a passenger in crashed at high speed.

He was left dead in the car alongside another man who was trapped and semi-conscious in the front passenger seat.

Two others in the car ran from the scene at Woodlands Drive, Rawdon.

An inquest held yesterday at Leeds Coroner's Court heard that police have yet to determine which of the men was driving the car when it crashed.

West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchliffe said: "No-one is really brave enough to actually admit who the driver was and it is not for me, in this hearing, to speculate who was actually driving the vehicle."

The court heard the four men had stolen the green Volvo 440 SI hatchback from a driveway in Tyersal in the early hours of February 21 last year.

The car had been driven at speed onto what they believed was a country road but which was, in fact, a private road. It had then hit a speed bump, causing the driver to lose control.

The vehicle had spun from side to side, eventually hitting a large tree, causing substantial damage to the Volvo.

Mr Grant was thrown backwards into the boot, receiving the head injuries which killed him.

Accident investigator John Green said evidence suggested he was not wearing a seatbelt, although this was queried by Mr Grant's mother Julie.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Grant's mother, a care assistant, said her son had been born and bred in Bradford, and had been a "nice young lad" until the age of 13.

She said he had then started to get into trouble with the police and had spent time living with friends, family and in foster care. He had come out of prison just a few weeks before the accident.

She said: "Prison did Dale some good. He was trying to get his life sorted out and was talking about getting a job.

"Dale died just when his life was starting to be sorted out. Dale was sometimes bad, he was sometimes hard work, but he was my son and I stood by him as best I could."

Mr Hinchliffe recorded a verdict of death by misadventure and said a joyride had ended in the "most appalling tragedy".

He said it was amazing the other occupants had not been more seriously injured or killed.