A MOTHER has spoken of her anger after the man who killed her son in a horrific car crash appeared in court for driving while disqualified.

Neil Tolley was given a six-year driving ban following the smash in 1997 which claimed the life of 17-year-old Gareth Boast.

At the time Tolley was told he could only regain his licence if he took an extended test but when he was stopped by officers in Hamilton Street, Blackburn, last month he was still unlicensed.

Gareth's mother Bernadette has told of her shock that Tolley, of Hector Road, Darwen, had got back behind the wheel.

She said: "I cannot believe it. It seems he is not sorry for what he did to my son and I do not want another mother to have to go through what I did.He should be punished for these offences. the courts were too lenient with him in the past."

Former St Bede's pupil Gareth was a passenger in the Citroen AX driven by Tolley when it slammed into a Ford Sierra and a Ford Cortina before flipping on to its roof in Shorrock Lane on July 12 1997.

Gareth, who worked as a double glazing salesman, was cut free from the wreckage by firefighters but was pronounced dead on arrival at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Two other teenage passengers suffered serious but none-life threatening injuries.

Tolley, then 20, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and was later charged with death by dangerous driving. Accident investigators believe he lost control of the car when he went over a hump in the road at high speed.

Last week he appeared at Blackburn Magistrates and pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and without insurance, following the incident on August 26 this year.

The court hears that when he was stopped by police the 31-year-old, who was driving a Ford Fiesta, told officers he was doing a favour for a friend.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said it was the first time Tolley had breached the order.

“Had he been supervised and displaying L plates he would not have been a disqualified driver,” said Mr Church-Taylor.

Tolley was remanded on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.