A man has been convicted of causing death by careless driving after a teenage boy was killed in a crash involving a £1.2m Ferrari.
Alexander Worth, 13, was in the F50 supercar with Matthew Cobden when the businessman lost control at the wheel at a reported 40mph in Hampshire in August 2016, Winchester Crown Court heard.
The trial was told Cobden, 39, who was keeping the vehicle at his car storage business, offered to give the teenager a ride after the boy's father asked him whether Alexander could have a picture.
The pair then drove along a quiet farm road with good weather conditions and visibility, jurors were told.
The Ferrari "accelerated uncontrollably" in North Warnborough, causing it to flip and throw the pair, who were not wearing seatbelts, from the vehicle, the court heard.
Thomas Wilkins, prosecuting, said: "Alexander died when the defendant's car drove off the right-hand side into a long fence post which launched the vehicle into the air, flipping it and turning it through 270 degrees.
"No other vehicle was involved and the prosecution say that the fatal incident was caused by a simple driver error – in other words, Mr Cobden's driving fell below that required of a careful and competent driver."
Cobden, who faces jail, broke down in tears while giving evidence, saying: "It's something I think about all the time, if I had done, things could have been different."
Describing the crash, he said: "I didn't do anything stupid, I was just trying to do my job. The next thing I remember is being out of the car."
The Ferrari involved in the crash was described as "the nearest you can get to a Formula One car on a public road" as the model can go from 0mph to 60mph in less than four seconds.
The court also heard Cobden, from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, said he had not experienced any difficulties with the vehicle before the crash, and "ample evidence" suggested the car had been in good working order earlier that day.
Cobden denied causing death by careless driving and said the car, which was due to be sold at auction and had been taken out that day for a photoshoot, had a mechanical defect.
His defence team said Ferraris were "temperamental cars" and a latent error caused the car to lose control.
They argued the engine was sometimes prone to only using six of the 12 cylinders and the car accelerated uncontrollably when all of the cylinders suddenly kicked in.
More from UK
But the prosecution said the supercar was well-maintained and the accident was caused by driver error.
Cobden is due to be sentenced on 26 March.
[contf] [contfnew]
Sky News
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]