A 19-year-old man who admitted causing the death of his brother and a cousin in a crash has been handed a suspended sentence after a judge read "powerful" pleas for mercy from the victim's mothers.

One of the men who died was Jonny Cash, 18, from Ashford, who had been a passenger in a car being driven by his brother Miles Cash when it went out of control on a wet road.

Cash, from Roycroft Lane, Finchampstead, Wokingham, was sentenced today when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court.

He pleaded not guilty to two charges of causing death by dangerous driving, but admitted two counts of the lesser offence of death by careless driving.

Cash had been at the wheel of a grey Citroen Berlingo when it failed to negotiate a bend on the A12 at Blythburgh on the evening of November 23, 2013 outside the White Hart and rolled over.

Jonny Cash and their cousin Christopher Doran, 19, from Cheltenham, who was described to the court as "like a brother" to them, both died at the scene.

"Your life had been changed forever by the events of that night as has your character and responsibilities" - Judge Rupert Overbury

Jonny Cash was partly trapped beneath the vehicle and Christopher Doran had been thrown out by the impact into the grounds of the pub, said Lori Tucker, prosecuting.

Two other young men who were passengers were treated in hospital for serious injuries.

The court heard that at the time of the crash Cash had been aged 17 and was driving his brother Jonny and a group of friends to a wedding in Great Yarmouth.

Police accident investigators, who said none of the five occupants of the car was wearing a seatbelt, concluded that inexperience, speed and a failure to cope with wet road conditions had probably led to the accident, said Mrs Tucker.

Initially it had been unclear who was driving as Cash had suffered amnesia but police were able to establish that it was him by using forensic tests.

Defending, Henry Hughes said the crash had devastated two families but the mothers of the two victims did not blame Cash for what happened. He had no memory of what happened.

Mr Hughes said the tragedy resulted from "a momentary act of inattentiveness" by Cash who had no previous driving convictions.

A local police liaison officer who had known Cash since he was a child described him as "responsible, polite and well behaved", said Mr Hughes.

Cash came from an "extremely close and loving family", he added.

Sentencing him, Judge Rupert Overbury told Cash that no sentence could heal the grief he had caused to two families.

The judge said cash's driving had been "inappropriate" for the road conditions and he had been solely responsible for two deaths.

"Your mother and aunt represent the public interest most effectively and to ignore them would be unjust" - Judge Overbury

Cash, who suffered serious injuries and had to be cut free from behind the steering wheel, had been assessed by doctors who said he also faced a lengthy period of recovery from the mental trauma it had caused him.

Judge Overbury said he had read letters from the mothers of Jonny Cash and Christopher Doran containing "heartfelt pleas from those directly affected" and which led him to rule out an immediate period of custody.

The judge told Cash: "Your life had been changed forever by the events of that night as has your character and responsibilities.

It is plain to me that you continue to suffer the serious scars of physical and psychological injuries."

Cash was sentenced to 12 months youth detention suspended for two years.

He will be under Probation Service supervision for two years and was disqualified from driving for two years.

Judge Overbury said letters written by the mothers of the two dead men had helped to persuade him not to impose immediate custody.

The judge said: "Your mother and aunt represent the public interest most effectively and to ignore them would be unjust."