A "CLUELESS" and "unkind" unlicensed driver who killed a grandfather during a fatal crash, and tried to blame his grieving daughter-in-law for his death, wept as he was put behind bars.

Daniel Freeman-Hollins, who had never even had a driving lesson let alone passed a test, was speeding when he crashed off the road near the Robin Hood pub in Gloucester Road, Castlemorton, near Ledbury, killing Raymond Johnstone.

The 20-year-old then tried to blame the victim's daughter-in-law, Ruth Johnstone, who had been carefully pulling out of the pub car park, turning right onto the main road when Freeman-Hollins of Swinyard Road, Malvern, swerved to avoid her Volkswagen Passat. The defendant was travelling at well over the 50mph limit.

His Suzuki Liana struck a parked Kia Sportage near the car park entrance before it hurtled across the pub car park and crashed into Mr Johnstone's car, which he was getting into at the time.

The impact dragged Mr Johnstone and his Land Rover Freelander into a brick and timber building which collapsed on top of him, causing him multiple fatal injuries.

Rather than admitting what he had done, Freeman-Hollins took the matter to trial, forcing the 72-year-old's bereaved family to appear as witnesses.

He was convicted of causing death by careless driving and also causing that death with no licence and no insurance. The car also did not even have an MOT certificate when he crashed at 7.30pm on May 24 last year.

The defendant had also driven on the same road three occasions on the week before the fatal crash and would have been aware there was a pub on that bend, said Judge Nicolas Cartwright, who sentenced him at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.

The judge said that because Freeman-Hollins had never passed a driving test, he had never had any hazard awareness training.

Though he was convicted of careless driving, the standard fell not far short of dangerous in his judgement.

He also said he was satisfied on the evidence that Freeman-Hollins, who had his girlfriend with him in the car, had been speeding.

"The fact is, you were clueless about the wider aspects of driving a car on the road in traffic," said the judge.

The defendant, who had no awareness of anti-lock brakes, thought you had to put both feet on the brake pedal and let go of the steering wheel in an emergency.

"You told the jury you did not even know what the national speed limit sign meant," said Judge Cartwright.

Freeman-Hollins had overtaken another driver moments before the fatal crash, narrowly avoiding another head-on crash, risking killing or seriously injuring other at least one other driver.

The son of the man who died, Mark Johnstone, had pulled out of the pub car park before his wife and saw the defendant's car "teetering on the very edge of its grip" and "screaming in fourth gear" as it rounded the bend towards the pub.

The judge said Ruth Johnstone, who had been turning right, "exercised as much care as it was possible to exercise emerging from that car park".

She had turned the radio off, asked her children to be quiet and put down the windows on both sides at the front the car so she could listen out for traffic.

Drivers do not have a clear view emerging from the car park, something Mrs Johnstone herself accepted.

Judge Cartwright said Freeman-Hollins had shown some concern at the scene for Mr Johnstone following the crash "but also, I'm satisfied, a sense of self-pity because you knew you had got yourself into so much trouble".

"Your reaction later was to try and lie your way out of responsibility and call other people who described your driving liars.

"You tried to lay all the blame on Ruth Johnstone, whose father-in-law was the man you killed.

"That was unkind if not reprehensible behaviour knowing how much she must have still been grieving at the time you were trying to put all the blame onto her," the judge told him.

The judge said Freeman-Hollins had shown an "arrogance" that was "breathtaking" in thinking he could drive without passing a test because he wanted to take his girlfriend on trips to the Golden Valley.

However, he took into account the defendant's mental health issues including the PTSD he had suffered after the crash.

His mother, who sobbed in court, had described her son as "remorseful".

"I simply observe that it's a pity your remorse didn't show itself in guilty pleas rather than putting everyone through a trial, including Mrs Johnstone who was blamed by you for what had happened," said the judge.

The judge sentenced him to 22 months detention in a young offender institution.

He also banned him from driving for 30 months, extended by 11 months so that ban will begin when he is released at the halfway point of his sentence.

Further to this, the judge ordered him to complete an extended driving test before he ever gets behind a wheel again.