Death crash man missed £1m payout

The court heard Pope had drunk at least six bottles of lager

A teenager who was badly injured in a car crash was killed by a drunk driver days before a huge compensation payout was due, a court has heard.

Passenger Nicholas Chlebko, 18, from Chipping Sodbury, died after his friend Daniel Pope drove a Ford Escort into a lamp post in December 2006.

Mr Chlebko had been due £1m-plus as compensation for the previous accident.

Pope, 18, was jailed for five years at Bristol Crown Court after admitting causing his death by dangerous driving.

Pope also admitted driving while disqualified, failing to stop and failing to report an accident.

Mr Chlebko had been due to be paid a "life-changing" sum, for the brain injuries he suffered in a crash 10 years earlier, at the hands of another careless driver.

'Best bet'

The court heard Pope had been celebrating his 18th birthday with four friends before the fatal accident.

Despite drinking at least six bottles of lager during the night he offered to give the friends a lift home, claiming he was the "best bet" to drive.

His passengers pleaded with him to slow down as he raced through the streets of Bristol at speeds of up to 70mph, William Hunter, prosecuting, told the court.

The car mounted a pavement and smashed into a lamp post in Brentry - killing Chlebko and injuring two others.

Pope, who was banned from driving after failing to stop for police just a few months earlier, fled the scene and later told police he was not driving the car. But the father-of-one later changed his story.