A DRIVER was jailed for eight years yesterday for causing the death of an eight-month-old baby.

The family of Callum Taylor were walking near their home in West Cornforth, County Durham, when Paul Lee lost control of his car and mounted the pavement.

Callum suffered serious head injuries and died in Newcastle General Hospital three days later.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that Lee, 25, of Baltic Road, Gateshead, had been clubbing the night before the accident and had taken cocaine and amphetamines.

David Wilkinson, prosecuting, said Lee was in his car with John Pope in Station Road, West Cornforth, at 1pm, on December 27.

The road had a dip in it, and the court heard that Lee told Mr Pope: "You can get the veh-icle airborne."

Travelling between 50 and 60mph into the dip, Lee's car left the ground and landed heavily.

The VW Passat then veered off the road towards Brian and Katrina Taylor, both 29, and their three children Thomas, six, Charlotte, 21 months, and Callum. The car clipped the child's buggy and dragged it along the path.

Mr Wilkinson told the court that Mrs Taylor was very bitter about the way Callum's life was taken. "She feels he has been murdered," he said.

The family donated Callum's organs and had taken comfort from the fact he had helped others.

Jamie Hill, mitigating, said that, ironically, Lee had seen his younger brother run over and killed two years ago.

Judge George Moorhouse told Lee: "What happened on that day will remain on the family's minds for the rest of their life."

He was jailed for eight years for causing death by dangerous driving, four months concurrent for driving while disqualified and no separate penalty for driving without insurance.

He was also disqualified from driving for six years.