THE mother of a teenager who died in a car accident caused by her drink-driving friend said her “world fell apart” the day she died.

Callum Jim Francis Gray, 19, was yesterday locked up for two years and eight months after pleading guilty to causing the death of Estelle Thompson, on her 17th birthday, while driving without due care and attention.

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The offence was aggravated as Gray, of Tuscan Avenue, Burnley, was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis at the time of the crash in Hapton.

Burnley Crown Court heard that Estelle had been a front-seat passenger in a Ford Ka driven by Gray, which had been travelling towards Padiham when it crashed just after the humpback canal bridge, near The Stables, Hapton.

He had previously consumed alcohol and cannabis at a wedding celebration.

Prosecuting barrister Stephen Parker read out a victim statement from Estelle’s mother, Elizabeth Marsh.

It said: “The day I find out you had gone my world fell apart.

“I could not believe this was happening to our family.

“I’d always tried to keep all of you safe but I failed this time.

“I have never felt so empty and numb, and unbearable pain, in my life.

“When I said to the police officer that I wanted to see Estelle, they were so kind with their words that I knew deep down what the word ‘unrecognisable’ meant.

“I knew that my baby girl was not beautiful any more because her face and head had taken the impact.

“The thought of this goes through my mind 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

“All I do every day is think about Estelle.

“I am unable to eat, which has caused me to lose weight.

“I am unable to sleep properly because everything is going through my mind and it will not switch off, so I end up crying myself to sleep every night.

Mrs Marsh said her loss had left her feeling like her heart had “been ripped out”.

She said: “Just before I am ready to go to bed, I kiss her photo and hold it close to my heart. I feel so lost without her and broken.”

The court was told that after Gray lost control of the silver-coloured Ka at 5.40am on July 20 last year, it collided with a wall.

Gray’s car was travelling at about 40mph in a 30mph zone before failing to negotiate a sharp left bend.

Tests revealed that he was over the legal drink-drive limit and evidence of cannabis use was found in his blood.

The level of the drug would have been above the legal limit brought in by new legislation introduced since the fatal crash.

Judge Beverley Lunt sentenced Gray to two years and eight months in a young offenders’ institution.