A FAMILY spoke last night of their devastation after the man responsible for their 15-year-old son's death had his sentence cut at London's Appeal Court.

Dean English, of Peterlee, County Durham, was jailed for ten years at Durham Crown Court last November after he was convicted of causing the death by dangerous driving of teenager Ian Gourley. He was also found guilty of arson.

But Lord Justice Maurice Kay, sitting with Mr Justice Silber and Judge John Saunders QC at London's Appeal Court, yesterday cut English's jail term to nine years, ruling the original sentence was "manifestly excessive".

Ian's father, Alan Gourley, told The Northern Echo: "I can't believe he has had his sentence cut. This is a really devastating blow to us.

"I haven't even been able to go into Ian's bedroom yet."

English stole a Ford Escort from a Peterlee street on November 19, 2003, and drove over Ian as he was chatting with friends at an open space in the town known as the Pony Field.

Ian died an hour later in Hartlepool General Hospital.

Yesterday's hearing heard how English failed to stop the vehicle and instead drove to a deserted spot on the fields where he set fire to the car.

English, 23, was well known to local police, having been convicted of 73 previous offences.

But lawyers on his behalf argued the sentence was too long in view of his relative youth.

Lord Justice Maurice Kay said English had "driven without regard to the consequences. In our view the judge was right to have classed this as a very serious case."

But he concluded: "We are, however, persuaded that the overall sentence was too high having regard to totality.

"In our view, the appropriate sentence in this case would have been one of nine years and, to that extent, this appeal is allowed."

Mr Gourley said: "We think he should have got even more in the first place; he has destroyed our family. While he gets a year off his sentence I am working every hour I can to pay for the headstone on my son's grave. Does that sound like justice?''

Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson, who led the inquiry into Ian's death, said: "It remains a substantial sentence, reflecting the seriousness of the offence."