A DRINK-DRIVER who killed a passenger in his van was jailed for three-and-a-half years on Friday.

Electrician Lee Stone lost control of the Vauxhall Vivaro as he swerved to avoid a slow-moving vehicle on the A289 slip road at the junction with the A2 coastbound carriageway at Cobham.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Stone, of Lodge Hill, Chattenden, performed the manoeuvre "too fast and too late" while twice the legal drink-drive limit.

The van, which was said by experts to be travelling between 62 and 72mph, veered across the carriageway before flipping over.

One of his two passengers, father-of-four Gordon Austin, 40, of Johnson Avenue, Gillingham, was dead by the time paramedics reached the scene of the accident in April 2006.

Stone, 38, escaped with minor injuries, as did his other passenger, Tony Riches.

He admitted causing death by careless driving while over the alcohol limit shortly before he was to stand trial in November last year.

As well as the prison sentence, Stone was banned from driving for five years and will have to undertake an extended driving test before getting his licence back.

Jailing him, Judge Philip Statman said he was satisfied Stone was driving too fast while over the drink-drive limit, and that the consequences were "devastating".

* Full story in Monday's Medway Messenger.