A LEARNER driver has been given a suspended jail sentence after she caused the death of a 15-year-old friend when she crashed into another car.

Carly Dene Smith, known as Beanie, died from multiple injuries after the Vauxhall Astra in which she was a back-seat passenger collided with a Ford Focus on the A19 at Chapel Haddlesey, near Selby, in August 2012.

Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday, that the driver of the car, Chantelle Smith, was a learner driver being supervised by her then partner Joseph Varey, when she tried to overtake a BMW car and struck a Ford travelling in the opposite direction.

Mark McKone, prosecuting, said the Ford was driven by Lee Hancock. He suffered serious injuries including a fractured skull, broken pelvis, hip and arm and had his spleen removed as a result of the collision. His three children also suffered minor injuries and were treated in hospital.

Mr McKone told the court when Chantelle Smith turned on to the A19 she caused the BMW to brake and that the driver beeped her horn at her and then overtook Smith.

Smith claimed later that the BMW slowed down, and when she decided to overtake it she found herself in a cat-and-mouse situation, with her in the middle of the road when the BMW speeded up again.

Inquiries after the crash revealed the handbrake of the Astra was pulled on, probably as an emergency reaction by Mr Varey on seeing the oncoming car, since Smith denied she had done it.

The back wheel locked and the car briefly returned to its correct side of the road but then veered back on to the wrong side and collided with the Ford. Emma Bennett, representing Chantelle Smith, said she was a close friend of Carly and “is devastated her driving has caused in some way the death of this girl and wants to apologise for that.”

The oncoming vehicle was not in sight when she decided to overtake the BMW.

She was also injured in the collision, suffering a broken arm, punctured lung, split spleen and cuts to her face and legs. She now had pins in her arms. Her daughter also suffered a slight injury in the collision.

Smith, now 27, of Common Lane caravan site, Burn, near Selby, denied causing the death of Carly Smith by dangerous driving but admitted causing her death by careless driving.

She was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was disqualified from driving for two years.

Judge Neil Clark said he accepted she had faced a delay since the collision and at one time had been told she would face no further action, only for that to be changed.

It was also possible that other factors had contributed to the incident, such as the handbrake being pulled on and an element of competitiveness with the driver she overtook.

After the court case the police released a statement from the family of Carly Dene Smith, saying: “Today has formed some closure for us, by someone accepting responsibility for their actions leading to Beanie’s death. Beanie will always live on in our hearts.”