A mother told today how she can now start to rebuild her life which was shattered after her eldest son was killed in a car being driven by his best friend.

Scott Pearson lost control of the Peugeot car he was driving after speeding around a bend and swerving violently when he thought he saw an animal in the road. The car spun around, forcing another driver to swerve to avoid a collision, before smashing into a tree at the side of Harrogate Road near Green-gates in June last year.

Robert Harris, 21, who was in the front passenger seat, suffered multiple injuries from which he died. Pearson, 23, of The Chase, Rawdon, was yesterday jailed for two and half years at Bradford Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Tests later showed low levels of Ecstasy and cannabis in his blood and also indicated that at the time of the crash he could have been either just below or just over the drink-drive limit.

He told police he had drunk a bottle of Budweiser and two pints of lager shandy that night.

But prosecutor Tim Stead told the court: "It is the Crown's contention that his judgement would surely have been impaired by the substances in his blood.''

Sentencing Pearson, Judge Kerry Macgill said: "Young men of your age have to realise when they get behind the wheel that a car is a potentially lethal weapon.''

Today Robert's mother, Maureen Harris, of Whitehall Road, Drighlington, said the death of her son and the ensuing court case had been a nightmare for her family. "I didn't want him to go to prison because it would not solve anything or bring my son back," she said.

"They were friends, and we do not know what happened. There are a lot of questions which haven't been answered, but I cannot torment myself about it.

"It has been a hard slog and the court case has been horrendous, but I want to move on to another chapter."

She said Robert's 17-year-old brother Luke had been a tower of strength since the accident.

Mrs Harris, 40, who lives with her partner Billy Fielding, is an administrator on an acute ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary and decided to take six months off work after Robert's death because of the nature of her job.

"At work we are dealing with a lot of young lads who are trying to kill themselves and taking drugs," she said. "I wondered how I would handle it.

"But I went back in January and it has helped going back. I think about Robert when I am dealing with the lads at work but as far as I know he never took anything and I always stressed to him not to drink and drive."

She said she had also been helped by a support group called SCARD (Support and Care after Road Death) which meets in Huddersfield and now plans to start raising money to help them.

Described by his mum as "caring and trusting", Robert was a popular sportsman who played rugby league and cricket.

She said he loved his job as a print finisher at Speedprint in Leeds where he had met Pearson a few months before the crash.

Pearson was also banned from driving for five years and will have to take an extended test before driving again.

Speaking after the case Robert's father, Robert Anthony Harris, of Laisterdyke, said: "No sentence could ever make up for Robert's death but we wanted justice, and that's what the judge has given us."

Pictured: Maureen with a picture of her son Robert.