A MAN has been jailed for nine years after causing a fatal collision in the Meon Valley that killed his girlfriend.

Liam Pusey, 23, of Herriard, near Basingstoke was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court today.

He was found guilty following a trial last year of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard how Pusey had been driving a heavily modified BMW 320D at 70mph north on the A32 and as he went to overtake, collided head-on with a car going south. The court heard it was wet and windy and that the car had been dangerously modified for 'drifting'. The incident occurred south of Droxford on February 4, 2021.

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The incident resulted in the death of his girlfriend Melissa Ann Orsborn, 20, of Salmons Road, Odiham, a front seat passenger.

He also collided with a car being driven by 37-year-old Louisa Wray, from Fareham, who suffered a broken wrist and fractured foot.

A statement from Miss Orsborn's father, Richard Orsborn, said: "She meant the world to me. I was so proud of her, I think about her every day. I will never forget her beautiful smile."

Prosecuting, Matthew Farmer said: "There was no common sense used here. He was driving dangerously close to the car in front and lost control."

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The court heard that the anti-roll bar had been removed from the car and that text messages shown in the trial suggested that Pusey wanted to drift on public roads.

Mitigating, Miles Bennett said: "It's important to remember that he is 23 years old. Having got to know him, he is an emotionally immature young man. The biggest pain he feels in the one that will never leave him. So many lives have been ruined."

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While being sentenced, Pusey stood, ashen-faced.

Judge William Ashworth said: "Melissa epitomised the spirit of kindness and love in a 20-year-old. We have lost one of the bright lights of the future. He bought the car specifically to go drifting on public roads. You (Pusey) are an immature person with no previous convictions and you lost a close friend."

The driver of the Golf, 37-year-old Louisa Wray, from Fareham, suffered a broken left wrist and broken right foot. She had surgery and spent two nights in hospital.

Police Constable Lucy Hawkins, of the Roads Policing Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Liam Pusey showed total disregard for the safety of his passenger and other road users by speeding in a dangerously unsafe vehicle.

"His recklessness has taken the life of one woman and put another in hospital.

"I hope the result we got today makes other drivers think twice about their driving and the state of their vehicles."