A SPEEDING driver who caused the death of his passenger after losing control of his car and crashing into a bungalow has been jailed.
Matthew Clarke was driving his Mazda 3 car along Church Road in Hockley on Friday, October 29, 2021.
Both he and his front-seat passenger were on their way to work.
As Clarke approached the junction at Lower Road at 67 mph, he was travelling too fast to obey the Give Way sign.
Despite trying to brake at the last minute, he lost control of the car and shot across the T-junction, colliding with a bungalow which was under renovation at the time.
The collision was captured on CCTV.
Passenger Andrew Basford, 54, from Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, died from his injuries at the scene.
Clarke survived, sustaining life-changing injuries which included a serious head injury.
The 32-year-old, of Ballygonell Road, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, was charged with causing Andrew’s death by dangerous driving.
He admitted the charge and was jailed for 34 months when he appeared at Southend Crown Court on Friday.
Clarke was also disqualified from driving for two years and will not be allowed to drive until he completes an extended test.
Roads Policing officer Detective Sergeant Alex Black, who led the investigation, said: “My thoughts are with Andrew’s family today. I hope today gives them the closure they need to move on with their lives.”
Andrew left behind a loving partner, Kerry, and was a loving son, brother, father and grandfather.
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