A FATAL crash near Wigton which claimed the life of a young driver happened as he and his friend took part in a high-speed car chase, a jury heard.

Carlisle Crown Court was told that the tragic death of 23-year-old Steven Parker on the A596 was the result of a chase which saw the cars involved reach a speed of at least 100mph - and possibly a speed of more than 118mph.

Mr Parker died when his car span out of control on February 3, 2018, crashing into a line of trees, demolishing two of them.

His friend Liam Dixon, 27, of Throstle Avenue, Greenacres, Wigton, denies causing his death by dangerous driving. At Carlisle Crown Court, barrister Stuart Neale outlined the prosecution’s case, telling the jury of six men and six women that Mr Parker lost control of his “powerful” BMW car when the defendant touched the brakes of his modified Vauxhall Corsa, causing his brake lights to illuminate.

Immediately after this, witnesses saw Mr Parker’s car “pirouetting” into the catastrophic crash on the Wigton bypass which killed him.

The accident left one of his passengers with a brain injury, and fractures to his jaw and eye socket. Mr Neale said the defendant and Mr Parker had been driving that day at a “ludicrously high speed”.

It would have been obvious to any competent and prudent driver that the likely consequence was somebody’s death, said the prosecutor.

Outlining the background, the barrister said that Mr Parker and the defendant had shared an interest in fast and powerful cars. “Their circle of friends had similar interests in powerful cars,” he said.

“It was part of their leisure time to take their cars on to the roads of Cumbria and engage in high-speed chases and high-speed jousts,” he said.

The barrister said the defendant’s Vauxhall Corsa was modified, its 1.2-litre engine replaced a 2-litre Saab engine, which was turbo-charged. Other parts - including the suspension and its gearbox - were replaced with ones more suited to a high performance car.

When he was interviewed by the police, Dixon told them that he and Mr Parker had gone out that day “lapping” Wigton.

The barrister then showed the jury a video, which was posted on social media, showing the speedometer of Mr Parker’s BMW as it recorded a speed of 140mph.

The driver was filmed as he held a mobile phone before the car’s dashboard as he drove, its speedometer recording that speed. Mr Neale said: “The Crown say that was a video of the deceased Steven Parker’s car earlier in the afternoon of February 3.”

The jury heard that police had reviewed dashcam footage from another driver, travelling towards Carlisle, which recorded the moment of the fatal crash.

It allowed them to estimate the average speed of the cars as 118mph. Dixon said he slowed down before the crash. He suggested - untruly, said Mr Neale - that Mr Parker’s car had cheap tyres. Mr Parker was sadly an “active participant”, said Mr Neale.

The trial continues.