Teesside Crown Court heard how 20-year old Karl Jensen drank eight pints of cider and lager "snakebite "and took a cocktail of drugs just before the accident.

Royal Artillery Private Jensen crashed his black 1.6 Vauxhall Corsa Sport through a fence into a stream in Swainby in North Yorkshire.

His friend, 18-year-old John Manders, drowned, and another passenger was trapped underwater before two villagers saved him.

Driving ban

Jensen, from The Ridge in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, was already banned from driving when the accident happened on 30 April, 2002.

A blood test showed he was well over the drink drive limit when it happened.

He was sentenced to five years in a young offenders.

He was also disqualified from driving for five years after he pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink and drugs on 30 April, and driving while disqualified.