A MAN killed his girlfriend after ploughing his modified BMW into an oncoming car at 70mph.

Liam Pusey crashed into a VW Golf as he overtook on the A32 while travelling south in ‘wet and windy’ conditions near Droxford.

His 20-year-old girlfriend and front seat passenger, Melissa Ann Orsborn, was killed.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Golf, Louisa Wray, 37, of Fareham, suffered a broken wrist and fractured foot.

She needed surgery and spent two nights in hospital.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that Pusey, 23, of Herriard, near Basingstoke, had been driving a heavily modified BMW 320D on February 4, 2021.

Prosecuting, Matthew Farmer said: "There was no common sense used here. He was driving dangerously close to the car in front and lost control."

The court heard that the anti-roll bar had been removed from the car and that text messages shown in the trial suggested that Pusey wanted to drift on public roads.

A jury previously found the defendant guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Miss Orsborn was of Odiham.

Daily Echo:

A statement from her father, Richard, said: "She meant the world to me. I was so proud of her, I think about her every day. I will never forget her beautiful smile."

Mitigating, Miles Bennett said: "It's important to remember that he is 23 years old. Having got to know him, he is an emotionally immature young man. The biggest pain he feels in the one that will never leave him. So many lives have been ruined."

Judge William Ashworth said: "Melissa epitomised the spirit of kindness and love in a 20-year-old. We have lost one of the bright lights of the future. He bought the car specifically to go drifting on public roads. You are an immature person with no previous convictions and you lost a close friend."

Pusey was jailed for nine years.

Police Constable Lucy Hawkins, of the Roads Policing Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Liam Pusey showed total disregard for the safety of his passenger and other road users by speeding in a dangerously unsafe vehicle.

"His recklessness has taken the life of one woman and put another in hospital.

"I hope the result we got today makes other drivers think twice about their driving and the state of their vehicles."