Drunk driver killed pal, 18, after crashing into tree at 60mph on boozy night out

A drunk driver who accidentally killed his friend after crashing into a tree at 60mph on their way home from a booze-filled night out , has been jailed for seven years.

Colby Hammond, 20, lost control of his Seat Ibiza, on October 1, 2023, when he and three friends were travelling on a residential road in Broadstairs, Kent after a night of heavy drinking to celebrate a "school reunion"

Driving down Dumpton Park Drive, near the seafront, at around double the drink-drive limit, Colby reached a shocking 75mph in the 30mph zone, just moments before the fatal crash which claimed the life of passenger Ethan Entwistle, 18. The news comes soon after the body of woman found in park after 'unexplained' death.

In the moments leading up to the crash, it also emerged the intoxicated Colby had also driven the wrong way down a one way street, before losing control of the vehicle and crashing head on into a tree.

Mr Entwistle, who was sitting in the passenger seat that had sustained 'terrible' damage, tragically died in the crash just two days before his 19th birthday.

Hammond has now been jailed for seven years and must serve at least two-thirds of that time in custody, after admitting to causing death by dangerous driving in June.

In addition, he has also been disqualified from driving for six years from the date when he is first eligible for release and must take an extended retest in order to qualify again after this.

Canterbury Crown Court heard on Thursday, that one of Hammond's passengers had previously informed police that drinking and driving was not an unusual occurrence for him, and was actually a "pretty normal thing"

More than 30 of Mr Entwistle's loved ones, along with a significant number of Hammond's, watched on as Judge Simon James passed sentence for his crime.

"With three passengers in your vehicle you were driving at speeds well in excess of the speed limit and probably more than twice the legal alcohol limit," said Judge James.

"You drove the wrong way down a one-way street and refused to heed the warning of your passengers to slow down."

He added: "Although, of course, you didn't intend to kill him, his death was caused by your irresponsibility, criminally reckless speed, abject failure to have regard to the safety of others and your deliberate decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol, something which it appears you had a habit of doing."

Prior to the fatal accident on October 1, Mr Entwistle and Hammond, did not know each other too well, and had met up on September 30 with two friends, Benjamin Brazil and Mason Anderson.

Kickstarting their night with some drinks in a shed at around 11pm, the group later headed to a nearby pub on foot.

When the establishment shut at around 1.30am, rather than head home and call it a night, the friends decided to drive to nearby Ramsgate to keep drinking, where they stayed until 3am.

Hammond said he would take a break from alcohol before they left, driving towards Mr Brazil's home, KentOnlinereports.

According to Prosecutor Sam Barker a car insurance black box fitted to the vehicle showed Hammond was speeding 'frequently' both driving there and back, with "Over half the data points for the journey in excess of the speed limit."

Both Mr Brazil and Mr Anderson, the two surviving passengers in the car, also admitted they were too drunk to really recall the journey back to Broadstairs, however Mr. Anderson did recall shouting, "Slow down, we're going to crash", to no avail.

He later told police he had been "really scared" at the time, adding: "I have never had to brace for a car crash before, but I could see it happening in front of me - I think I closed my eyes and the crash happened."

The two-and-a-half mile journey from Ramsgate to Broadstairs would have taken less than ten minutes to drive at the speed limit, the court heard.

Hammond subsequently hit the tree trunk at between 61 and 63mph, causing horrifying damage to the passenger area, with the roof crushing down and compressing the front passenger seat to around half it's usual size, reports Mail Online.

Additionally, the front passenger airbag had also been turned off, meaning it didn't deploy upon impact.

Following the crash, both Hammond and Mr Brazil managed to climb from the wrecked vehicle but Mr Anderson remained trapped, with serious injuries to his chest and lungs.

Hammond then reportedly laid down on a grass verge and said "I think I'm going to prison now."

Mr.Brazil, who had invited his best friend Mr.Entwistle on the night out, told the court how he had been seated in the passenger seat immediately behind him - and tried in vain to save his life following the collision.

"I tried my best to keep him alive," he told the court, as he described how he had dragged his friend from the wreckage and performed CPR on him, shouting for Mr Anderson to call 999.

"I consider myself extremely lucky but it doesn't take away my guilt that I survived and Ethan did not," he confessed.

Sadly, at that point no amount of help would have been able to save Mr.Entwistle, as a post-mortem exam later revealed he had suffered "massive blunt-force injuries" which were "unsurvivable."

Yet even despite this, paramedics still battled to save him for over an hour before he was unfortunately pronounced dead at 4:30am on October 1.

When arrested at the scene following the crash, Hammond is said to have made remarks about going to prison and lamented how disappointed his parents would be in him.

He also freely disclosed how much he had been drinking to paramedics, as he reported drinking "one or two Jagerbombs" at the pub and "one or two" of a drink he could not remember in Ramsgate.

Yet when questioned by police, he repeatedly declined to comment.

Judge James said Mr Entwistle was "clearly a very special young man" who was both "vibrant and popular".

He called him "a beloved son, a supportive big brother and a friend to many", adding: "His death has broken the hearts of all who knew and loved him."

Among those mostly deeply wounded by his death, was his mother Keena Entwistle who gave a heartbreaking victim impact statement at the hearing.

Her statement read: "I can honestly say that Ethan would have preferred to have been killed rather than any other person in the car - as was his selfless nature...

"He was an innocent, introverted boy who showed devotion to his family. When he left that night, I remember telling him I love him and, "Be good".

"He said, "I always am, love you momsie" - those were his last words to me. My heart shattered that day and has never healed.

"I should have been celebrating his birthday. Instead, my beautiful blue-eyed boy was dead on a trolley.

"There was dried blood on his ear, there was a bruise on his shoulder, his nose was broken. All I wanted to do was hold him but I couldn't.

"I've not slept for more than a few hours since the crash. I've not slept on a Saturday night since October 1, 2023, because I fear someone else will die."

Speaking outside the court on Thursday, Ms.Entwistle revealed she was unbothered by the sentence given, as it was the admission of guilt she had sorely needed.

"The sentence, I wasn't fussed by. It was the fact that I needed him to plead guilty," she explained.

"I needed him to take responsibility for what he'd done and the trauma he'd caused. With him doing that, that was what I wanted."

She then added: "I've felt immense guilt because I wasn't there with Ethan. I've been told by numerous people that it wasn't anything to do with me and hearing him has helped relieve some of that guilt that I was feeling."

Since losing her son, Ms Entwistle has launched a campaign to try and stop other young people from suffering the same fate by calling on the government to introduce graduated driving licenses.

These new licenses would stop young people from carrying 'peer-aged passengers' for six months after their test, with notable exceptions.

They would also prohibit young people from driving between 12am and 6am, when statistically most fatal crashes occur.

"We want the Government to acknowledge the fact that our children aren't a number, they're not a statistic, they're a person and if it [had] been in place, there is the possibility Ethan could be here now," said Ms Entwistle.

However, despite a tireless campaign, and a petition that amassed more than 100,000 signatures, a Department for Transport spokesperson previously said the government was not considering graduated driving licences and instead directed attention towards their ongoing Road Safety Strategy.

Following the conclusion of sentencing, Investigating officer DC Lee Berridge of Kent Police said: "This has been a tragic case for all involved. Our investigation shows that the cause of the collision was due to the irresponsible actions of the driver in consuming alcohol and having little to no regard for the safety of his passenger, furthermore failing to heed the warning of his passengers to slow down.

"The message is clear, never get behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking alcohol and if you are a passenger, don't be afraid to refuse a lift.

"The decision by Colby Hammond to drink and drive that night had devastating consequences. A life was lost, and my thoughts remain with them and their loved ones who have been left grieving."