An 'erratic and dangerous' motorist has been jailed for two years after killing his teenage nephew in a horror smash.
Lejan Lancaster-Baxter, 35, was 'showing off' when his Volkswagen GOLF GTI reached speeds of up to 80mph in a 30 zone before ploughing into two cars and barrel rolling along the road.
Lancaster-Baxter was thrown from the vehicle before it landed upside down, bounced and skidded 65 feet, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
Father-of-one Brad Aldridge, 19, died and his cousin Declan Aldridge suffered serious injuries in the crash on Harrogate Road, in Bradford, on February 3, 2019.
Lancaster-Baxter, from Fagley in West Yorkshire, admitted causing the death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury.
Lejan Lancaster-Baxter (pictured), 35, was 'showing off' when his Volkswagen GOLF GTI reached speeds of up to 80mph in a 30 zone before ploughing into two cars and barrel rolling along the road
He was yesterday sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment and disqualified from driving for more than nine years.
Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp told Bradford Crown Court no one in the car was wearing a seatbelt.
Those who saw the Golf prior to the crash described Lancaster-Baxter's driving as 'madness', 'aggressive', 'erratic and dangerous'.
Father-of-one Brad Aldridge, 19, died
One woman said she thought the car was going at around 80mph on the 30mph road and was so angered she tried to take down the car's registration number to report it to police.
A cyclist the car overtook said it was apparent someone was going to get hurt, while another witness said: 'He looked to be accelerating up the road, getting faster. I was half expecting police to be chasing the car.'
The court heard Lancaster-Baxter was driving the Golf in the direction of Bradford when the first crash with a Hyundai happened as he tried to overtake.
The Golf then smashed into a Nissan Juke, with the force of the impact causing the Golf to fly into the air and do a full barrel roll.
Harrowing CCTV footage of the smash was shown in court, along with pictures showing the horrendous damage to both the Golf and the Nissan.
The driver of the Nissan, David Barlow, said his four-year-old was left screaming and covered in glass. He added: 'I can't stop thinking about how close my son came to being killed.'
While Lancaster-Baxter remained conscious and able to walk, Brad suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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ShareDeclan, who was trapped in the vehicle, was taken to hospital after suffering fractures to his femur and wrist, and needed to have surgery on his leg.
Lancaster-Baxter tried to 'minimise' his blame, the court heard, and Brad's family read a victim impact statement out as part of the defence case to try to save Lancaster-Baxter from prosecution.
Connor Quinn, for Lancaster-Baxter, said the defendant and Brad had been more like brothers than nephew and uncle and told the court the family had 'suffered enough'.
Lancaster-Baxter (pictured) was thrown from the vehicle before it landed upside down, bounced and skidded 65 feet, narrowly missing a pedestrian
Brad's girlfriend and the mother of his son, Shona McNulty, said he 'loved his uncle so much' and 'being angry is not going to be worth it'.
She told Yorkshire Live: 'It was not anyone's fault - it was not on purpose. Him (Lejan) and Brad were so close. They would do everything together. They were more or less like brothers. He (Lejan) is suffering 100 per cent.'
Mr Quinn said Lancaster-Baxter, a father-of-five, suffered PTSD, had no relevant previous convictions and represented a low risk of reoffending.
'He will never trouble these courts again,' said Mr Quinn.
Judge Andrew Hatton said he accepted there was 'considerable mitigation' and remorse, but said: 'My job is to objectively assess the case and to sentence properly and fairly on behalf of the public.'
Brad's girlfriend and the mother of his son, Shona McNulty (pictured together), said his 'loved his uncle so much' and 'being angry is not going to be worth it'
He told Lancaster-Baxter: 'You drove in a way that was palpably dangerous.'
He added: 'Those who choose to deliberately drive dangerously and to take risks must know there is a price to pay for it. The public are entitled to know that they are protected by the courts.'
He highlighted how families of the accused and deceased are often at loggerheads in such cases and were not here, but said the sentence must reflect all matters.
Speaking after, Detective Sergeant Paul Lightowler of the Major Collision Enquiry Team said: 'This case stands as a tragic example of the dreadful consequences that driving dangerously can have.
'Bradley was 19 when he died and had his whole life ahead of him. He also had a young son, who now will grow up without a father. I hope this sends out a clear message that speeding on our roads kills and we will not tolerate people who clearly break the law.'
A statement from his family, issued after his death, said: 'Our precious baby boy, son, brother, father, partner, grandson, nephew and cousin. Our hearts are broken. It feels like a bad dream, like we're going to wake up soon and it's not going to be true.
'How could my precious blue-eyed boy be gone, everyone who ever knew him speak such beautiful words of him, it means so much to us. Your mammy and daddy are so proud of our beautiful blue-eyed boy that you became. You are our world.
'You are our world. You are mine and your daddy's beginning and you will always be our all and everything. Until we meet again.'
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