A "callous and selfish" driver has been jailed for seven years for wrecking a Porsche at 100mph and blaming his dying friend for the crash.

Addingham man Barry Sylvester Holmes, 33, put Richard Whitelock's devastated family through 15 months of further anguish before finally admitting he was at the wheel of the blue Carrera 911.

Yesterday a jury at Leeds Crown Court convicted Holmes of causing Mr Whitelock's death by dangerous driving.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to perverting the court of justice by persistently lying to police that he was a passenger in the sports car.

The Porsche belonged to Mr Whitelock but he had allowed Holmes to drive it from Gildersome towards Bradford.

During the trial, prosecutor Andrew Dallas told how the Porsche was doing more that 100mph when Holmes lost control. It left the carriageway, struck a lamp post and barrel-rolled three times before flipping on to its roof.

Mr Whitelock, 21, of River Place, Gargrave, near Skipton, suffered multiple fatal injuries and died in hospital the next day.

The court heard how the young man was trapped in the upturned car, resting on a demolished lamp post when Holmes first insisted he was not driving.

It was only after 15 months and almost £80,000 had been spent on a police inquiry that he finally owned up.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told Holmes, of Chelker House Farm, Addingham, he was driving at a grossly excessive speed when he crashed on the A650 Drighlington bypass late on July 19, 2006.

The judge said Holmes was a hard-working man with a clean driving licence at the time.

"No one here takes the view that you set out that night to cause anyone any harm," Judge Marson said.

But at least four pints of lager had impaired Holmes' ability to drive that night.

The judge said the defence claims that undulations in the road and a problem with the car's suspension could have contributed to the crash. But the accident would not have happened unless Holmes was driving dangerously.

The judge said it was a human tragedy that had left Mr Whitelock's family devastated.

No term of imprisonment could begin to comfort them for the loss of a priceless life.

The judge branded Holmes' behaviour at the crash scene and afterwards as "callous and selfish".

His eventual admission that he crashed the car was prompted not by guilt but by the expert evidence gathered by the police.

Holmes was banned from driving for seven years and he must take an extended re-test before he gets behind the wheel again.

After the case, Mr Whitelock's family said: "We are happy that Richard's name has been cleared.

"We have needlessly suffered for two years because of Holmes' lies."

After the verdict, Mr Dallas read the victims' impact statement from Mr Whitelock's mother, Sheila.

She spoke of her son's love of cars and relationships with his brother and sister.

She said not knowing the truth about the crash had had a devastating effect on their family and friends.

Mr Dallas said police suspected Holmes was lying and became determined to prove it.

They spent £16,700 of public money gathering expert evidence and £61,000 over 12 months on manpower for the enquiry.

Holmes' barrister John Elvidge said he was sole director of a haulage company that employed three other people. His business will no longer be able to continue.

It was not the case where he was racing another vehicle but one of excessive speed, more than 25mph over the 60mph limit.

During the trial the jury heard that Holmes blamed a phantom vehicle coming towards them before the crash. He said Mr Whitelock had been forced to swerve and lost control of his car.

Holmes asked police at the scene for his mobile phone and flip-flops from the wrecked Porsche.

Mr Dallas said Holmes may have been worried that one flip-flop may have been found on the driver's side of the car.