Teenage 'rally driver' caused fatal crash at 116mph on Buckfast

A TEENAGE driver who caused the death of his friend after losing control of his car drove "like a rally driver" at more than 100mph, a court has heard.

Irving Gracie, 19, was yesterday jailed for four and a half years and banned from driving for ten years for causing the death of 16-year-old student Daniel McQueen in February.

Gracie, from Dumfries, was driving at 116mph when he swerved into two trees at a dip in the road, the High Court in Glasgow was told.

He had been drinking Buckfast tonic wine before he "just went mad" while driving his passengers along the A75 near Dumfries.

For nearly a mile, he accelerated and revved the engine, before losing control and crashing.

Daniel suffered fatal injuries to his head and chest, and fellow passenger Christopher McLaughlan was left with "life-threatening" injuries after being thrown through the windscreen of the car.

Gracie, who was in hospital for 12 days, will have a metal rod in his femur for the rest of his life, the court was told.

Sentencing, judge Lord Turnbull said Daniel's death was "truly heartbreaking" and condemned the "deliberate and aggressive" way Gracie had handled his car.

He said: "The outrageous manner in which you, as a young and inexperienced driver, chose to drive was a direct cause of the death of Daniel McQueen and the injuries to Christopher McLaughlan.

"I recognise only too well that no sentence that I can impose is capable of undoing the harm of the way that you chose to drive.

"Neither can any sentence reconcile the family to their loss or alleviate their anguish."

Gracie had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to killing Daniel by dangerous driving.

Daniel, known as Danny, was a "sincere, generous and compassionate young man" who was "devoted" to his family, his father, Colin McQueen, said after sentence was passed.

An ardent Celtic fan, he was studying sport and recreation at Dumfries College and worked in the family hotel as a kitchen assistant.

Mr McQueen told of a "life sentence of emotional pain" that Gracie had imposed in taking away the life of a "popular young man who was just starting to make his way in life and had everything to live for".

"As a parent, when you are told that your child has been killed in a road traffic accident, the devastation is unbearable," he said.

Mr McQueen also called for more action to be taken to prevent young and inexperienced drivers causing deaths on the road.

"Gracie deserves every second of his sentence and more," he said.