A fatal collision in which a Whitwick man died has resulted in the driver being jailed for more than three years.

Lewis Kendrick, 24, of Dumps Road, Whitwick was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court yesterday (20 December) after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured and unlicensed.

He was sentenced to three and half years in prison for death by dangerous driving, nine months in prison for causing death by driving a vehicle driver unlicensed / uninsured, this sentence will run concurrently.

He was also disqualified from driving for eight years with immediate effect and will need to take an extended retest.

Shortly before 1.30am on Wednesday 23 December last year, a black Nissan Note that had been travelling along Leicester Road towards Whitwick left the carriageway.

The vehicle impacted with a stone wall before travelling across the road in a violent rotation with such force that the engine ejected through the front of the vehicle.

Kendrick's friend, Aaron Fairbrother, who was also 24 and from Whitwick, had been travelling in the passenger seat. He sustained fatal injuries and sadly died at the scene.

Family pay tribute to Aaron. Kendrick, who was a provisional licence holder and was not insured to drive the vehicle, was arrested and taken to hospital after sustaining a fractured pelvis and hip. While at hospital he tested positive for alcohol and drugs with toxicology results later confirming he was over the legal drink drive limit and had consumed cocaine as well. He later admitted in interview to being the driver of the vehicle and following a lengthily investigation by collision investigators which could not find any other reason as to the collision other than Kendrick hitting the kerb and losing control of the vehicle, he was summoned to appear at court. Detective Constable Paul Hicks, from the force's Serious Collision Investigation unit who lead the investigation, said: "The fact that Kendrick had excess of the legal limits for both alcohol and Benzoylecgonine in his system are likely to be contributing factors in the collision. "His actions on that night caused the death of his friend, something he will have to live with for the rest of his life and something no amount of time in prison will change for him or Aaron's family."