A businessman is facing jail after being convicted of causing the death of a 13-year-old boy in a crash in a £1.2m Ferrari. Matthew Cobden, 39, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, lost control of the Ferrari F50 on August 22, 2016 while taking Alexander Worth for a spin.

The court was told that the supercar “accelerated uncontrollably” along a farm lane in North Warnborough, Hampshire, causing it to flip and throw the pair, who were not wearing seatbelts, from the vehicle. Cobden denied causing death by careless driving, saying the car had a mechanical defect, but was convicted after trial at Winchester crown court on a majority verdict of 10 to 2.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Matthew Cobden faces jail sentence after being convicted of causing death by careless driving. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA

Thomas Wilkins, prosecuting, told the trial that the Ferrari, which was due to be sold at auction, had been taken that day to an airfield in Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, for a marketing video to be shot. The accident happened after the car was returned to the car storage business run by the defendant on a farm site in North Warnborough, Hampshire.

The court heard that Justin Smith, who supplied car batteries to Cobden, had brought his partner Arabella Worth, and her son, Alexander, with him when he visited the premises to make a delivery. When the Ferrari was unloaded from the vehicle transporter, Cobden offered to take Alexander for a ride after Smith asked if they could take a photograph of the car.

Cobden told the court that he drove off in the car carefully, not exceeding the 10mph speed limit. He added: “I’m in my client’s car and the last thing I want to do is cause any damage.” He said that he had not worn a seatbelt and had not asked Alexander to put one on.

Cobden 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 prosecution said the car was travelling at about 40mph at the time of the crash.

Wilkins 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.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Ferrari F50 after the crash. Photograph: Crown Prosecution Service/PA

The defence said that Ferraris are “temperamental cars” and a latent error caused the car to lose control. They argued that the engine was prone at times to only using six of the 12 cylinders and the car accelerated uncontrollably when all of the cylinders suddenly kicked in.

But the prosecution said the car was well maintained and that the accident was caused by driver error. Judge Keith Cutler adjourned sentence until 26 March to allow time for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

The family of Alexander said: “The outcome of this trial will not bring Alexander back, but we hope the media coverage has in some way increased awareness of the fragility of life and the danger of driving powerful cars for however short a journey and the necessity of adhering to all sensible safety measures.””