A DRIVER crashed a sports car at high speed into a tree in Lickey End, killing his friend and seriously injuring his brother-in-law, Worcester Crown Court heard on Friday.

The Audi RS6 was travelling over 100mph, more than two and a half times the speed limit, when the driver lost control and the car struck a tree in Rose Hill, near Bromsgrove.

Driver Brynley Morris of Brandon Grove, Birmingham, was seriously injured, and one passengers, Andrew Harding, was killed.

A third passenger, Andrew Hartley, suffered life-changing injuries as the car smashed into the tree and erupted into flames after midnight on January 8, 2015.

Mr Hartley suffered injuries including broken legs, a shattered pelvis on both sides, broken bones in his left foot and several broken ribs.

His back was broken in two places and he suffered a broken ankle and wrist, a ripped diaphragm and bowel and a tear in his stomach. He had skin grafts on his legs and feet and had to have metal plates fitted.

As a result, he had to close his business and was told he could never run again.

The car hit a lamppost and two metal posts, before it struck a tree, leaving bits of the alloy wheel embedded in it. It then collided with another tree before it 'wrapped itself around an oak tree'.

Morris, 31 who had previously been an ambulance driver, admitted causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving, while in court for sentencing on January 20.

Daniel White, prosecuting, said the crash had taken place on a 40mph road, before the car caught fire as residents gathered around to help, throwing buckets of water over it as someone inside screamed for help.

The flames were climbing 30ft when fire crews arrived and the car was so badly damaged they had not realised Mr Harding was dead inside.

Firefighters, some with 20 years of experience, said it was the worst incident of its kind they had ever witnessed.

It took an hour and 40 minutes to extricate Mr Hartley.

An expert said the car was travelling at an average of 73mph between its collision with the second and final tree, but this was a ‘considerable underestimate’ of the speed when it left the carriageway.

Colin McCarraher, defending, said Morris had been a hard-working man with no driving offences. He was an experienced ambulance driver. It was not his high performance car - it had belonged to Mr Harding, Mr McCarraher said.

Mr Hartley had written in defence of Morris, saying he felt 'no malice towards him'.

Mr McCarraher said: "They are good family friends and they have supported each other through what has been a terrible time for both of them.

"He [Morris] feels and has expressed how deeply sorry he is for what he's done. This is not something he's going to live with with any degree of ease.

"As an ambulance man he has been there trying to save lives, not cause death."

Morris was described as a 'thoroughly decent man', while his wife said he was 'no longer the same' after what happened.

Judge Robert Juckes QC, sentencing, said: "It's an appalling case in the sense of the damage that has been done.

"It's a deeply sad case for a variety of reasons, but particularly as one man, Andrew Harding, lost his life and a second man, Andrew Hartley, and Brynley Morris, the defendant, have had their lives permanently damaged and all of that the consequence of one moment of extraordinarily bad driving.

"Mr Morris lost control at a grossly excessive speed on a corner."

The judge said the defendant had suffered as a result of his own injuries when he was trapped in a burning car and effectively 'roasted'.

Morris was sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for four years. Ten penalty points were added to his licence and he will have to sit a mandatory extended retest.