A MAN was killed when the car he was driving left the A169, broke through a fence and crashed into a garden, an inquest has heard.

Stuart Westoby, known as Paddy, died aged 57 on Sunday, May 14, last year. He lived in Pickering.

He had been more than three times the legal alcohol limit and had been driving at about 104mph.

An inquest into his death was held at the County Records office in Northallerton on Thursday.

Among a number of witnesses, the inquest heard from Craig Sunley, of Pickering, who had known Mr Westoby for more than three years and was in the car when the crash happened.

Mr Sunley explained how the pair had spent the evening at the Queen’s Head in Amotherby before setting off in Mr Westoby’s blue Mini back to Pickering.

Mr Sunley said that he thought Mr Westoby had had two or three drinks at the pub, as well as one earlier in the Sun Inn, but he couldn’t be precise as they hadn’t bought drinks together.

Written testimony from witness Sophie Louise Scofield, who had been out in her own vehicle that evening, indicated that the Mini had been weaving over the road through Kirby Misperton before driving off at speed towards Pickering.

CCTV footage from the Black Bull pub then showed the Mini losing control and leaving the A169 on a gentle bend.

Traffic constable Steven Gardner, of North Yorkshire Police, gave evidence to the inquest.

He said that there was no sign of braking and the airbags had deployed.

“The vehicle launched into the air and rolled several times,” he said. “It had travelled 130 metres from the first marks left on the road.”

He added that he had calculated the speed of the car at about 104mph, give or take 10 per cent.

A post-mortem examination by Dr Jan Lowe, of James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, found that Mr Westoby had 255mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - the legal limit is 80.

There were no drugs detected.

The coroner, John Broadbridge, recorded a so-called narrative conclusion.

He said: “The deceased’s loss of control and its consequences were unintended but occurred at excess speed and when he was under the influence of alcohol.”

Mr Westoby had worked in the racing industry and for Westlers foods as a packer and forklift driver and, more recently, doing odd-jobs.

The coroner read out a written statement from Mr Westoby’s daughter Laura which said: “He was a very kind person and incredibly hard working.

“He was small in stature but he had a very big personality.”