A motorist who crashed his car, killing his friend, has been convicted of causing death by careless driving while drink-driving.

Benjamin Kaye, 23, formerly of Toulson near Tadcaster, yesterday changed his plea to guilty during the second day of his trial at York Crown Court.

The jury was directed by the judge to return a verdict of guilty.

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports and Kaye will be sentenced at a later date. He was bailed.

Kaye was driving his blue Subaru on the evening of January 2 when it left the carriageway, turned over a number of times and went into a ditch off the A162, near Scarthingwell.

Police found the unconscious bodies of Kaye, the deceased man Mark Beal, 21, of Lumby, near South Milford and their friend, Martin Seamore, outside the wreckage of the car. The car had been spotted by a number of police patrol cars as it sped through Wistow, Sherburn-in-Elmet and along the A162 near Towton.

Updated: 10:02 Thursday, October 07, 2004