A TEENAGE lifeguard involved in a fatal crash just six days after passing his driving test has been jailed up for four years.

Edward Shepherd, 19, had already been spotted twice by police speeding in his new "performance" car in the days after he passed his test.

He was "showing off" when he flew round a corner at 65mph and crashed into a car driven by Unity Perkins, Truro Crown Court was told.

Miss Perkins had celebrated her 21st birthday with her twin brother the day before and was driving from her home in Hayle, Cornwall, to her new flat in St Ives when she was killed. Her flatmate and passenger, Naomi Mitchell, had to be freed from the wreckage of the crash on the Carbis Bay-Lelant road on September 22 last year, but escaped without serious injury.

Shepherd, of Bishops Road, St Ives, was told by Judge Graham Cottle that both before and after the incident, he had been determined to drive as fast as he could at every opportunity without regard to the risks involved. He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, which carries a maximum penalty of five years, at an earlier hearing.

Sentencing, Judge Cottle said: "I consider you to be extremely fortunate not to be facing the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

"Apart from expressing my surprise, there is nothing further I have the power to do. I make it clear that I consider the manner of your driving and culpability that day as being at the very top of the range.

"What credit you deserve for your guilty plea has to be weighed against the fact you had no conceivable alternative other than to plead guilty. You purchased a performance vehicle and you had very little driving experience and, more importantly, no respect whatsoever for the fact that a motor vehicle in the wrong hands is a potentially lethal weapon.

"You regarded your car as a toy to play with and in which to show off to your friends. At the time, the car had a defective braking system and two defective tyres, and although neither contributed to the accident, they demonstrate still further your attitude.

"Everything about this case points to the inevitability of a tragedy occurring at any time whilst you were behind the wheel. You were showing off."

Judge Cottle said that Shepherd had accelerated away at considerable speed from friends in a following car. One witness described him as having "floored it" before he entered the bend.

Shepherd was banned from driving for five years and until he passes an extended test.

The family of Unity Perkins are trying to raise £1,000 for a memorial bench at Upton Towans. Anyone wishing to contribute should call 01872 273939 extension 203 or e-mail kirstie@cornwt.demon.co.uk Donations can be sent to Cornwall Wildlife Trust at Five Acres, Allet, Truro, TR4 9DJ.