The mother and aunt of a teenage driver who lost control of his car on a Suffolk road, killing his brother and cousin, pleaded with a judge not to jail him.

East Anglian Daily Times: Two teenagers died in the crash otuside the White Hart pub at Blythburgh.Two teenagers died in the crash otuside the White Hart pub at Blythburgh. (Image: Archant)

Yesterday, the judge agreed to allow 18-year-old Miles Cash to walk free from court as “an act of mercy” to his mother and aunt who pleaded for him not to be locked up.

The teenager’s “momentary inattention” resulted in him losing control of his car as he drove to a family wedding.

Sentencing Cash to a 12-month period of detention suspended for two years and banning him from driving for two years, Judge Rupert Overbury said he had read letters from his mother and aunt expressing forgiveness and absolving him of blame.

“They both plead for you to be spared a prison sentence,” said the judge.

He said both women wanted to be allowed to grieve for their dead sons and felt their family had suffered enough without having to worry about Cash being locked up.

“Your mother asks the court to show mercy to her and leniency to you which will allow her to grieve for your brother,” said Judge Overbury.

He said that as Cash’s mother and aunt were the people most affected by his actions it would be unjust to ignore them but he stressed that if the circumstances of the accident had been different he would have had no hesitation in passing an immediate sentence of detention.

Cash, of Wokingham, Berkshire admitted causing the deaths of Jonny Cash, 18 from Ashford and Christopher Doran, 19, from Cheltenham by careless driving on the A12 at Blythburgh on November 23 2013.

Lori Tucker, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court that at about 9.30pm Cash was driving a Citreon Berlingo on the A12 with four passengers, none of whom were wearing seatbelts.

He had lost control of the car on a left hand bend near the White Hart pub and crossed the central white line in the road.

The car struck road furniture and turned over before coming to rest on its side after hitting the pub wall. Mr Doran was thrown from the vehicle and landed in the grounds of the pub and the defendant’s brother ended up with part of his body wedged under the car. They both died from their injuries and the defendant was trapped in the car and had to be cut free.

Miss Tucker said Cash was only just 17 at the time and an accident investigator felt his lack of driving experience, excess speed and slippery conditions could have contributed to the accident.

Henry Hughes for Cash said his client had no memory of the accident and came from an extremely close and loving family.

“Having killed your brother and cousin, who is like a brother to you, is going to be more devastating than anything the court could impose,” said Mr Hughes.

He said his client’s mother and aunt both expressed their desire for the court to show clemency in what he described as “an extremely tragic and unusual case.”

He said Cash’s mother had said she “simply couldn’t cope with losing another son.”