Matthew Hesketh suffered fatal injuries when his best friend Adam Catterall, 19, overtook two cars on a bend before smashing into an oncoming taxi.

Catterall was cleared by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving, but was found guilty on his own admission of careless driving. As well as the fine, he was also banned from driving for 18 months.

Matthew's grieving parents slammed the sentence and said they will never get over their son's death.

Dad Andrew, 46, who handed a catalogue of Matthew's horrific injuries to Catterall's family as they left Preston Crown Court yesterday, said: "It is sending out the wrong message to young drivers who will think it doesn't matter if they drive dangerously – even if they do end someone's life they will just get fined. We feel so cheated.

"The sentence hasn't brought closure to us. We just feel Matthew was let down in life and now he's been let down in death. I cry every day for my son and have done since he was killed."

Matthew's mum Hilary, 43, a nurse, said: "We never wanted Adam to go down, but at the very least he could have admitted the dangerous driving charge instead of pleading not guilty. We get on as best we can, but we will never recover."

Sports journalism student Matthew, of Woodplumpton Lane, Broughton, died at the scene of the accident – a "gentle bend" on Preston Road, Longridge, in February last year.

Catterall, 19, of Mill Lane, Goosnargh, always denied causing death by dangerous driving. He admitted to the jury at his five-day trial that he had been driving "a bit too fast" in the 50mph zone and should not have overtaken the two cars, but insisted his driving was not dangerous.
Matthew was a back seat passenger, wearing a seatbelt, in the Peugeot 106.

After overtaking two cars Catterall's vehicle lost control and hit an oncoming taxi side on. Matthew died at the scene and another friend of the defendant, sat in the front seat, was injured, as was the taxi driver.

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