Spencer Timsom, 29, consumed between five and seven bottles of beer before the fatal crash, which killed rear seat passenger Paul Spiers, 26, Leicester Crown Court heard.

Timsom, 29, ran his Citroen Xsara into a ditch between Cosby and Littlethorpe, Leicestershire, on April 28.

Lost control

William Everard, prosecuting, told the court how Timsom lost control on a bend.

Driving above the speed limit on a road he knew well, Timsom sent the car into a hedge and then the ditch, the court heard.

He admitted causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Graham Buchanan, representing Timsom, described him as a "thoroughly decent man" who had been left devastated by the tragedy.

But Judge Christopher Metcalf, also banning him from driving for five years, said the offence was so serious that jail was inevitable.