A VERDICT of accidental death was recorded yesterday on a 23-year-old soldier who died in a car crash.

But his mother told the inquest that the driver of the car, John Joe Jordan, 23, told her he was drunk and had been speeding.

Lee Maxwell was a member of the 1st Battalion of the King's Regiment, based at Bourlon Barracks, in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

He died on March 1 after the blue Rover 200 he was travelling in with Mr Jordan and three other passengers crashed into a tree on Plumer Road, between the garrison and Richmond.

They had been on their way to a friend's wedding at Richmond Register Office.

Mr Jordan lost control of the car after hitting a dip in the road and as he tried to brake, the wheels locked and the car careered into a tree.

Mr Maxwell, from Merseyside, was the front seat passenger and was not wearing a seat belt. He died from chest injuries after colliding with the dashboard.

His mother, Lorraine Cooke, questioned Mr Jordan during yesterday's hearing in Harrogate.

She said: "We had a little ceremony for Lee and you broke down crying, saying you had to tell me something.

"You said you were drunk, you were speeding, and that the Army came and took you back to camp and gave you coffee, then phoned the ambulance.

"You said that he cried my name out. That is callous and that is cruel."

Mr Jordan admitted this was a lie, saying he had made it up because he was scared and did not know what to say.

Crash investigator Paul Davenport said that when the car started to skid, it was travelling at 44mph, and was unlikely to have been breaking the 60mph speed limit.

Recording his verdict, coroner Geoff Fell said: "Almost certainly, Lee would have survived this impact if he had been wearing a seat belt.

"Everything points to Lee's death being avoidable."