A vineyard worker who killed two colleagues and his teenage girlfriend when he crashed his car at speed while over the drink-drive limit has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Jack Diamond’s Volvo estate became airborne over the crest of the road as it went around a left-hand bend. It overturned and collided, roof first, with a wall.

A witness who had seen him leave a pub earlier had described him as driving “like a complete lunatic”.

Another witness said the car was driving fast and erratically, with the wheels spinning, as he left a second pub shortly before the crash.

Diamond’s girlfriend Chelsea-Rose Betts, 16, and colleagues at Sandhurst Vineyard, Roy Little, 44, and Stephen Jones, 50, were all killed.

Chelsea’s brother Billy Bartley, then 13, was seriously injured.

Mr Little and Miss Betts lived in Sandhurst and Mr Jones was from North Wales.

Diamond, of The Street, Sedlescombe, near Battle, East Sussex, admitted three offences of causing death by dangerous driving and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He will serve half of the sentence before being released on licence.

“As far as I’m concerned, that is not justice...” - Carol Penfold, Chelsea-Rose's grandmother

He was banned from driving for seven years and will have to take an extended test before he can drive again.

Chelsea-Rose’s mother Racheal, 34, said of the sentence passed: “It is not long enough.”

Chelsea’s grandmother Carol Penfold said: “As far as I’m concerned, that is not justice.”

Judge Philip Statman had told Diamond: “It seems to me this is yet another case which can fall under the umbrella of a complete lack of understanding that if you go into a public house, if you drink alcohol, if you leave and drive a vehicle and you drive at speed, then if you are involved in this sort of incident there is only one way it can be dealt with to protect the community as a whole – that is by way of a substantial and immediate custodial sentence.”

The maximum sentence for one offence of causing death by dangerous driving is 14 years after a trial, and without credit for a guilty plea.

Maidstone Crown Court heard on Tuesday the tragedy happened on the A268 Rye Road, near Hawkhurst, on September 23 last year.

The car was travelling from Hawkhurst to the nearby village of Sandhurst when it hit the wall near the junction with Foxhole Lane.

Prosecutor Dominic Connolly said one witness was outside the Swan pub in Rye Road at about 8pm when he saw the car drive straight out of the car park and go “flat out” in all five gears.

He told police it was breaking the speed limit before it was out of the first two gears. He described Diamond, 30, as driving like a lunatic and commented to a friend: “He is not going to last long.”

The witness’ wife said the driving of the car was fast and dangerous

Diamond was then seen leaving the Oak and Ivy pub in Rye Road “fast and erratically” where there was no street lighting.

A woman driving in the opposite direction saw headlights on full beam coming towards her nearly on her side of the road. She slowed down and her car wobbled as it sped past at 50mph to 60mph in the 40mph limit.

Driving instructor Stephen Munroe had pulled up at his house in Rye Road at 9.30pm when he heard the Volvo travelling at high speed.

“It is absolutely impossible to quantify the loss that has been sustained by the bereaved families where three are dead and one is seriously injured, and to in some way equate that in terms of years to each death in the sentence I have to pass..." - Judge Philip Statman

As it came around the bend the noise momentarily stopped and there was then a loud sound of tyres hitting the road and screeching, followed by a thud and silence.

A police officer arrived at the scene to see the car on its side. Billy was lying outside the car with a head injury. He also suffered fractures to his collarbone and three ribs.

The two men died at the scene. Chelsea-Rose died in hospital three days later.

Diamond, who was trapped in the car, said: “I swerved for a car on the corner.”

Mr Connolly said harsh steering or braking caused the car to rotate clockwise across the road.

“It is likely the driver overreacted to a perceived loss of control while negotiating the bend,” said Mr Connolly. “The rear offside tyre had a slow puncture. It is possible it had some adverse effect.”

A blood test taken over five hours later showed that Diamond was over the drink-drive limit with 87 micrograms in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 micrograms.

Diamond claimed he had drunk a “moderate amount” of alcohol. He denied he was driving too fast or erratically at any stage that evening.”

Tyrone Smith, QC for Diamond, said Mr Little and Mr Jones were close friends.

“All the people in that car were decent, hardworking, honourable people,” he added.

Judge Statman told Diamond: “I am satisfied you are genuinely remorseful for what you have done.

"I readily accept that what you did on this evening will be with you for the rest of your life.”

Billy had shown “extraordinary bravery” in attending court, having had his sister taken from him.

“It is particularly significant that in regard to all the deaths that have occurred no one had the chance to say goodbye,” said the judge. “That is a very great tragedy indeed.

“This is not a case where a defendant sets out in the morning with evil and malicious intent in front of his mind intending and causing deaths.

“It is absolutely impossible to quantify the loss that has been sustained by the bereaved families where three are dead and one is seriously injured, and to in some way equate that in terms of years to each death in the sentence I have to pass. This is not an easy task.

“It is higher culpability because you knew how many were in your vehicle. They were all your responsibility, you being the driver. So many have suffered considerably as a result of your actions.”

Judge Statman added: “These cases present the courts with the most very real difficulties and trying to balance matters of this kind is a virtually impossible task when so many are here, when so many have suffered.

“At the same time I have a 30-year-old man who has never been in trouble before. It is a very difficult sentencing exercise for anyone to perform.”