Ferrari death crash driver guilty of boy's death Published duration 1 March 2018

media caption Alexander Worth accepted an offer to ride in the car before he died in the crash

The driver of a £1.2 million Ferrari involved in a crash that killed a 13-year-old boy has been found guilty of his death.

Alexander Worth died after the supercar "accelerated uncontrollably" and flipped over on a farm lane in North Warnborough, Hampshire, in August 2016.

Matthew Cobden, 39, of Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving at Winchester Crown Court.

He will be sentenced on 26 March.

image copyright Family photo image caption Alexander Worth died in the crash in North Warnborough in August 2016

The court had heard businessman Cobden had offered Alexander, from Kings Worthy in Hampshire, a ride in the Ferrari F50 when the teenager visited his car storage business with his mother and her partner.

Cobden was tearful as he described how he had not worn a seatbelt and had not asked Alexander to put one on.

"It's something I think about all the time, if I had done, things could have been different," Cobden told the court.

He had said the 12 cylinder vehicle "accelerated uncontrollably" when he put his foot on the accelerator.

Both were thrown from the vehicle as it crashed into a fence post at approximately 40mph, and Alexander died from his injuries.

image copyright PA image caption Matthew Cobden stood trial at Winchester Crown Court

The defence had blamed the crash on a pre-existing defect in the Ferrari.

But the prosecution said the car was well-maintained and the crash was caused by driver error.

A statement released by Alexander's family following the verdict described him as "our very special boy".

"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," the statement said.

Cobden was granted unconditional bail until sentencing.