A YOUNG man killed himself by driving his car at high speed into a stately home because he could not face going back to prison.

Lawrence Koppert, 23, known to his friends as Loz, sneaked out in the early hours of Monday morning and drove his silver Peugeot car into an arch at Castle Howard.

It happened only hours before Lawrence was due in York Crown Court on a wounding charge, which he denied.

The day before, the University of York student Lawrence, who was studying sports science, sent a grim text message to his brother saying: "The system is playing a game with me. They want to **** me up. They created a monster. Now they must face it."

A week earlier, Lawrence had appeared at Bridlington Magistrates' Court charged with wounding 22-year-old Daniel Davis during an incident in St Thomas Street, Scarborough, the day before.

Lawrence, a Leeds United fan, lived at Sherburn, near Malton, with his mum, Pam Koppert, 53, and brother Oliver, 22.

His brother, James, 25, lives nearby with his girlfriend and baby.

He said Lawrence doted on the little boy.

"Loz was really turning his life around. But people were prejudiced against him and he couldn't cope with that. The day he died he was due in court because it was alleged he attacked someone.

"There was no evidence that he had done it - but Lawrence was too scared that they would make him go back to prison."

He said Lawrence, who had served a sentence for burglary, had become a skilled weightlifter in prison and was looking for a job as a personal trainer at a gym.

Before his death, Lawrence went to see his girlfriend, Katrina Lawson, hugged her, and said: "Will you always remember me?"

Katrina, 17, from York, said: "At the time I didn't realise what he intended to do. But I will always remember my Loz.

"Loz was wonderful to me, but so many people never got to see the real him.

"They just saw him as a criminal and never gave him a second chance. He just couldn't cope with people thinking badly of him."

James said: "As soon as the police broke the news, we suspected he had taken his own life. The text message, the things he said to his girlfriend and the fact he left his belongings at his friend's house, make us think he'd decided to end it. The police have said the marks on the road show Loz had headed straight for a wall - there was no breaking, no swerving or anything."

His mother, Pam, said: "He had changed since he came out of prison, but no one would give him a chance.

"His family could see how hard he was trying - but others just saw the criminal record."

Updated: 11:32 Friday, August 19, 2005