A WORDSLEY man has been jailed for more than four years after he ploughed into and killed a pensioner while driving at "grossly excessive" speed and using two mobile phones.

Ryan Freeth was streaming music on the one phone while the second was being used for text messages and calls as he made his way to play football with friends, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

He then struck 66-year-old Leslie Marks (pictured below), who was making his way home after enjoying Sunday lunch with his family, and he was sent flying into the air before other vehicles drove over his body after he hit the road.

Stourbridge News: Leslie Marks

Freeth, of Marshall Crescent, who drove a short distance away from the scene of the fatality then deleted a number of calls and messages from his phone that he knew would be "incriminating," said judge Simon Ward.

He told the 27-year-old: "Your driving was very dangerous. You were driving at an excessive speed and you were using two mobiles. As a result your awareness was severely impaired."

The judge said Mr Marks suffered fatal injuries as a result of being hit by Freeth's Vauxhall Corsa, adding that he had deleted the calls and messages "pretty quickly".

When the phones were later analysed by investigating police officers it was discovered several calls had been made by Freeth around the time of the collision in Brettell Lane, Amblecote, on November 29 2015.

The judge said Freeth had endangered the lives of other road users by making the decision to drive fast and use his mobile phones.

Malcolm Morse, prosecuting, said it was their case that over a period of minutes while driving at an unsuitable speed Freeth had been "juggling" his attention between two different phones.

He must have been using the mobiles, he told the court, and it was clear his attention overall had been distracted.

Mr Morse said one witness to the crash thought the body was like a paper bag being thrown into the air and the Vauxhall had been going so fast it was just a "blur".

Freeth drove on a short distance before making a call to his father and then, after his arrest, he maintained he had been driving at around 35mph in what was a 30mph limit.

Talbir Singh, defending, said there had been a text message and Freeth had attempted to make two calls on one of the phones while the other was being used as a music device.

He said he had been in a state of panic and shock after the collision with Mr Marks and he clearly had difficulties regarding the speed at which he had been driving.

Freeth, a man of previous good character, knew he "could not right a wrong," Mr Singh said - adding: "He will have to shoulder the burden of what happened for the rest of his life."

The court was told relatives had been badly affected by the death of Mr Marks, who was described as a lovely, kind, gentle and generous man.

Family members found it difficult to come to terms with what happened and it had been hard to focus but they hoped the court case would bring closure to the incident.

Freeth admitted causing death by dangerous driving and he was jailed for four years and five months.

He was also disqualified from driving for five years.