David Barker, 27, flipped his Skoda Octavia on Wolstanton High Street in Staffordshire after speeding at 76mph - Steven Field, 40, was thrown from the car through an open sun roof08:07, 23 May 2026A motorist killed his friend after speeding at 76mph through a built-up residential area before flipping his Skoda Octavia.‌David Barker, 27, crashed on Wolstanton High Street in Staffordshire after swerving. His friend and rear seat passenger Steven Field, 40, was thrown from the car through an open sun roof. He sustained a severe skull fracture and a traumatic brain injury.‌Steven was pronounced dead at the scene and his cause of death was given as multiple injuries. Barker, who fled the scene and considered taking his own life before handing himself in three hours after the crash, has now been jailed for seven years and four months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.‌Prosecutor Rupert Jones said the fatal crash happened in Wolstanton High Street in the early hours of June 15. Barker had been out with Steven and another man the previous evening at pubs. They went to Newcastle-under-Lyme where they bought food and at 1.57am the three men returned to the car.READ MORE: Morrisons evacuated as man with 6-inch knife goes on 'rampage' and shoppers fleeREAD MORE: EasyJet flight makes urgent landing as captain announces 'there's something in hold'Barker drove through May Bank lights and it was plain the car was travelling in excess of the speed limit as it moved on to Wolstanton High Street.‌Mr Jones said: "The defendant lost control of the car. The car left the road, hit a lamppost, and rolled. It came to a stop 84 metres from the point where it left the road. CCTV shows the defendant got out of the car and ran away."Members of the public who had heard or witnessed the incident went to assist. Emergency services arrived. When the police arrived paramedics were carrying out CPR on Mr Field. He had a significant head injury and had lost a lot of blood. He was pronounced dead at 2.17am."The third man was not present. He too had left the scene. The defendant handed himself in to the police at 5.20am. Five hours after the incident he gave a reading of 17 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, against the legal limit of 80."‌Barker, of Horton Drive, Weston Coyney, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. Nick Tatlow, mitigating, said Barker has no previous convictions.Mr Tatlow said: "His remorse is genuine. It is not merely skin-deep. He has never sought to avoid responsibility for what he did. He always admitted being the driver, that his driving was bad, and that his bad driving was the cause of Mr Field's death. His speed was wildly in excess."He too suffered a loss. Mr Field was a friend who he saw very regularly, almost on a daily basis in the two or three years he had known him prior to his death.‌"It was not a prolonged course of bad driving by any stretch of the imagination. There is no reason to believe that drink played any part."As to how the defendant accounts for his driving, he is at a loss. He does not blame anything else. He does not suggest the passengers, let alone Mr Field, were responsible for the way he drove. It was stupid to drive at that speed. He was driving in excess of the speed limit on an urban road. It is the case that the loss of control was partly caused by his manoeuvre to avoid a taxi passing his path. It was not just negotiating a bend but an avoiding manoeuvre."He did not help matters by leaving the scene. He was traumatised. It was immediately obvious to him what he had done. He left the scene, not with the intention of avoiding capture. He wanted to kill himself. He walked down to the D-road with the intention of throwing himself in front of a vehicle and ending his own life. He did not. He has a family. He went to the police station three hours later to face the consequences."‌Judge Graeme Smith described the events as a 'tragedy'. Judge Smith said: "Steven was a good friend of yours and you also are living with the effects of what happened. You have moved to live with your brother and his family because of their concern for you."The reason for the fatality was simple: you were driving much too fast. It was around 2am. The streets were largely empty. Shortly before the crash you were estimated to be driving at 76mph in a 30mph limit in Wolstanton. A car legitimately pulled out from a side road. You swerved. Steven was thrown from the sun roof and died almost immediately or shortly after."The only reason you can give for your speed is stupidity. It seems it is inexplicable to you that you were driving at that speed. No sentence can attempt to put a value on a human life."Article continues belowBarker must serve two-thirds of the sentence with the rest on licence. He was disqualified from driving for nine years and 10 months and will have to pass an extended retest before he can drive again.For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.