A driver who raced against a businessman who crashed his car and died has been jailed.

Electrician Lee Pople was driving a modified Peugeot 306 GTi and John Martyn was behind the wheel of a Lotus Elan open-top sports car when they competed on a short stretch of the A371 at Castle Hill, between Banwell and Winscombe.

A witness told Bristol Crown Court both cars were overtaking other vehicles and racing when 51-year-old Mr Martyn, of Dark Lane, Banwell, lost control of his Lotus.

It overturned and he died instantly from multiple head injuries.

Pople, 25, of Fiveways Close, Cheddar, had denied dangerous driving, but was found guilty by a jury after a trial.

Jailing him for a year yesterday, Judge Simon Darwall-Smith said: "The jury convicted you on overwhelming evidence that you were racing with the deceased, Mr Martyn.

"You have two previous speeding offences in your works van. I'm pleased to hear you have sold your modified car.

"I take into account the deceased was driving

in a similar nature and he suffered the ultimate penalty."

Father-to-be Pople was also banned from driving for two years and told to pass an extended driving test before being able to return to the road.

Jonathan Stanniland, defending, said his client was a qualified electrician whose work was excellent and character was impeccable.

He said: "He has demonstrated remorse.

"This case was never one of causing death by dangerous driving."

Mr Stanniland said it appeared some sort of racing had taken place between the two, but it was brief and had only taken place over about a fifth of a mile.

He said: "This is a case where such dangerous driving took place between those two villages in the space of ten seconds or so.

"Nobody other than witness Ben Curtis used the word 'racing' at all."

Mr Stanniland told the judge there had been no suggestion of alcohol or drug use and no attempt by his client to flee the scene or hide evidence.

He said: "Mr Pople came straight back after two telephone calls. He has never been in trouble before and you can suspend the sentence confident in the knowledge he will not transgress in future."

In January an inquest heard how Mr Martyn, the managing director of Cheddar print firm SP Press, had been overtaken by Pople moments before his car overturned, leaving the road and hitting a hedge and a concrete post. They had both just overtaken another driver, Ben Curtis, who then saw them race towards a bend where Mr Martyn lost control.

Police accident investigators estimated the two cars were travelling at up to 80mph at the time of the accident at Castle Hill, where there is a 50mph limit.

The inquest was told Pople's Peugeot 306, which he used on track days had no rear seats, an interior roll cage, two racing seats and a racing harness.