WATCH: Drink and drug driver speeds through city centre before crash which killed his teenage passenger

Tyrone Quinn, 20, had been drinking in Newcastle with a group of friends, including 17-year-old James Docherty.

In the early hours of the next morning the group got into Quinn's blue BMW 3 Series car and were caught on camera driving dangerously through the city centre.

They then made their way towards Gateshead but at the roundabout junction of the Redheugh Bridge and Askew Road, Quinn lost control causing the BMW to overturn.

When police arrived just after 4am they found front seat passenger James Docherty had suffered fatal injuries. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

James Docherty, 17, who was killed in the crash

Quinn was arrested by police but refused to assist their investigation and sat in silence throughout questioning.

Northumbria Police Motor Patrols officers launched an investigation and were eventually able to identify Quinn as the driver. He was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving and a number of other traffic offences.

Quinn, of Hewitson Terrace, Felling, Gateshead, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court and on Monday he was jailed for six years nine months. He was also banned from driving for five years, which will start when he is released from prison.

Following sentencing, senior investigating officer Sergeant Steve Armstrong said: "The footage we have released shows just how dangerously Quinn was driving on the night of this collision.

"He was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs and was driving in a dangerous manner at high speed in Newcastle city centre on one of the busiest nights of the year without any regard for members of the public or the passengers in his vehicle.

"I do not get any pleasure from a case where a young man has lost his life and our thoughts are with James' family at what must be an incredibly difficult time for them.

"This is a devastating reminder of how dangerous it can be to drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs. People think that they may be invincible but the sad truth is that is not the case.

"The only positive that can come from this case is that it acts as a reminder to other motorists, young drivers in particular, that a vehicle can be a deadly weapon when it is not treated with respect.

"Officers from Motor Patrols and Op Dragoon are committed to identifying those who feel that it is acceptable to drive motor vehicles on the road without complying with the law and we will take positive action against those involved."

James Docherty's mother, Rachel, read a victim impact statement in court as Quinn watched on from the dock.

In it she paid tribute to James who had just left school to start a career as a bricklayer.

She said: "The whole situation does not yet feel real to me. I have mixed emotions of sadness, anger and overall disbelief that James is gone.

"James was 17-years-old when he was taken from us. It is such a waste of a young man who had a positive future ahead of him. There is a sense of emptiness without his presence.

"I often see Ian (James' father) getting upset and he regularly asks the same question that only Tyrone Quinn can answer: ‘Why would you drive a car when you’re under the influence of drink and drugs?’

"I understand Tyrone Quinn has not assisted the police during their investigation. This has added to our family’s grief, I cannot understand why Tyrone would not help the police investigate the death of his supposed friend.

"His refusal to give any account during police interviews has left us in the dark when all we want is to understand how James was taken from us.

"There is no sentence which could make up for my son being taken away. What I want is to have James back but that isn’t going to happen."