The father of a former Maidstone schoolboy who died in a head-on crash three months before he was due to get married has called for tougher punishments after his son's killer was jailed for just five years.

Engineer Andrew Thornewell was travelling along the A10 in Cambridgeshire in a Mini driven by his colleague Tim Wildbore, 24, when tragedy struck last February.

Witnesses described how Mitchell Butler-Eldridge weaved in and out of traffic on a five-mile stretch of the 60mph single-carriageway before smashing head on into the pair's vehicle, killing them both.

Mr Thornewell, 28, a former Oakwood Park Grammar School pupil, was due to get married three months later, with many of the plans already in place.

His father Paul, of Teapot Lane, Aylesford was at Cambridge Crown Court to see Butler-Eldridge begin a five-year term.

He was also banned from driving for seven-and-a-half years.

Speaking after the sentencing, the 59-year-old said: "It's been a long process. Andrew was killed 85 weeks ago this week. The whole scenario has not made what is already a terrible situation any easier.

"No sentence would be enough, that goes without saying. But it did feel like the judge's hands were tied by the sentencing guidelines. He did the best he could.

"The system needs a proper review. Butler-Eldridge showed no remorse, if he had any why would he wait until three weeks before the trial to plead guilty?

"Two and a half years just seems totally inappropriate... People who damage property or steal lots of money get longer in prison. That does just not seem right. It seems like material things are worth more than someone's life." — Paul Thornewell

"Two and a half years [the term Butler-Eldridge will probably end up serving] just seems totally inappropriate no matter what his previous record was. It was not just one bad manoeuvre but a series on a road he used every day.

"People who damage property or steal lots of money get longer in prison. That does just not seem right. It seems like material things are worth more than someone's life."

Mr Thornewell supports the work of Brake, a charity which is campaigning for better justice for crash victims and their families. More details can be found on the Brake website.

He had read a statement to the court in which he said the family were "paralysed with grief" and still had his son's wedding invitation pinned up as a reminder of what should have been.

They regarded Butler-Eldridge as a "mindless idiot" and had no forgiveness for him.

He added: "He was more intent on getting from A to B and was taking any risks. His poor decision has had a catastrophic effect on me.

"I'm still consumed by anger as the road traffic collision was totally avoidable."

Mr Thornewell paid tribute to his son, saying: "Andrew relocated to Cambridgeshire to be with his fiancée and to further his career. He was an award winning undergraduate at Sheffield Hallam University achieving a first class honours and the Sheffield Hallam award in Design Engineering.

"As a Project Design Engineer for R J Herbert Engineering Ltd, he had also just completed a project alongside Tim at Stansted Airport.

"He had a passion for life and was a keen supporter of Gillingham Football Club.

"Andrew was a huge part of our family, a loving, wonderful son, brother and fiance. This tragic event has shattered and devastated not only our lives but that of our extended families, close friends and colleagues.

"He gave us 28 wonderful and happy years and words cannot express how we all miss him.

"Nothing will ever bring him back and no amount of justice will ever be enough but we hope that lessons will be learned to inform other road users that poor decision making can cause and have catastrophic consequences.

"Our heartfelt thoughts are also with Tim's family and his partner."

PC James Thorne, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit who investigated, said: "Butler-Eldridge made a conscious decision to overtake a vehicle when it was clearly dangerous to do so and this resulted in the tragic loss of life.

"This incident was clearly avoidable had he thought about his actions and I welcome the sentence passed.

"All too often do we see people performing unsafe overtakes and it is by some fortune that these incidents aren't more frequent. I urge people to consider their actions when driving/riding and to reacquaint themselves with the Highway Code.

"One bad driving decision and a dangerous manoeuvre has robbed two families of loved ones and this sentence should serve as a deterrent to people whose standard of driving falls below what we, as society, expect."