THEY were supposed to be his best friends, but he left them to die in the street.

Today Martyn New is behind bars, starting a five-year prison sentence, for causing the horrendous smash on a Hampshire road that killed two of his mates.

Despite having no licence, no insurance and no MoT certificate for his heavily modified, turbo-charged car, he offered to drive three of his pals as they travelled between two pubs on a night out last July.

Tearing along the A3051 Botley Road at twice the 30mph limit, he lost control of the Vauxhall Cavalier as he attempted to take a bend at Swanwick.

Jamie Hickman and Alex Harris were thrown from the vehicle as it flipped over and skidded 50 yards down the road on its roof.

When the car finally came to rest New, 25, got out and, running past the bodies of his dying friends, fled.

Despite the efforts of paramedics who were on the scene within minutes, Alex, 24, from Waltham Chase, who had been New's best friend for more than ten years, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His last words had been to try to tell the driver to slow down.

Jamie, 26, from Sholing, Southampton, was treated at the scene and rushed to hospital, but his injuries were so severe that he too died later that night.

None of the four in the car was wearing a seatbelt, but New and the third passenger, Jamie's younger brother Lee, escaped with minor injuries.

Having crawled out of the car's back window, he tried to stop father-of-two New running away from the wreckage, but instead returned to try to help his brother and friend.

Specialist police investigators who closed the busy road for more than 12 hours as they pieced together what had happened were confronted with a scene witnesses described as "carnage".

Yesterday, the two dead men's devastated friends and families packed into Portsmouth Crown Court to hear New's fate.

The court heard modifications to the Vauxhall meant New normally didn't carry passengers, because he feared it was too dangerous.

Lee Hickman was quoted as describing New accelerating "so hard that it felt like you were being pinned back in the seat".

Just before they reached the fatal bend, Alex Harris had pleaded for his friend to slow down.

Judge Richard Price told New his sentence included the full available credit for his guilty plea, which had been entered at a crown court hearing in July, after previous denials at magistrates' court appearances.

"The expert evidence is that you were travelling at a speed of somewhere between 54 and 66 miles per hour before you lost control," he said.

"Any competent and careful driver should and would have known that attempting the bend at the speed you did was dangerous.

"Nothing can bring Jamie Hickman and Alex Harris back. No amount of punishment of you can ever restore them to those who loved them."

Judge Price jailed New for five years concurrently for two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for five years, meaning he will have to pass an extended test before he is allowed back on the road.

No additional punishment was added for driving without a licence and without insurance, which he had admitted at an earlier hearing.

The Daily Echo is not allowed to publish New's address because of a court order placed by the judge.

Judge Price said: "It simply would not be safe for those who have to live at this address. It is within the power of the court to prevent publication for a good reason."