Jail for driver who killed five

Ben Morphey admitted five charges of careless driving

A drink-driver who caused the deaths of five people by careless driving has been jailed for eight and a half years.

Ben Morphey, 22, from Yoxford, Suffolk, will spend half of his sentence in custody and the rest on licence, he was told at Ipswich Crown Court.

He admitted killing three teenagers, including two sisters, in a head-on collision on the A12 at Blythburgh in Suffolk in July last year.

Two people in Morphey's car also died as a result of the accident.

Jennifer Stoddart, left, and her sister Claire were killed

Morphey, a soldier based at Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk, pleaded guilty to five counts of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit.

Medical experts believed he had drunk nearly eight pints of lager.

Sisters Claire and Jennifer Stoddart, aged 18 and 15 respectively, were killed along with their friend Carla Took, also 18, as they returned home to Lowestoft after a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at Portman Road, Ipswich.

Also in the car were Sarah Mitchell, who suffered serious injuries, and Adam Cox, who was not badly hurt.

Simon Bonner, 40, and Kim Abbott, 41, passengers in Morphey's car, also died.

Carla Took was with the sisters returning from a concert

Simon Spence, prosecuting, said Morphey told police the alcohol he had consumed would have had "very little effect on his driving and would not really dull his reaction times".

Defence lawyer John Madden said Morphey had made "a serious error of judgment" and what had happened was "everybody's worst nightmare".

He said Morphey pleaded guilty on the basis he had had a "momentary lapse" in concentration while driving at between 50 and 55mph.

Judge Neil McKittrik gave Morphey credit for his guilty plea, but said he had made a "gross error of judgment" and a jail sentence was the only possible outcome.

Morphey was also disqualified from driving for 10 years.