A teenage driver crashed two days after passing his test, killing himself and two friends, an inquest heard today.

Simon Ingham, 18, was driving his friends around Midhurst in his grandfather's Vauxhall Nova on January 11 when he lost control and smashed into a tree.

The crash killed Simon, of Exton Road, Chichester; Steven McGill, 18, of Taylors Rise, Midhurst; and 16-year-old computer student Manh Hung La, also known as Sam, of Fishbourne Road, Chichester.

Chichester Coroner's Court heard that the impact was so great it ripped the offside doors off the Vauxhall Nova.

The three young men, all students at Chichester College, died instantly in the accident on the A286 north of Easebourne.

A fourth, James Smith, 18, escaped with a broken nose and cuts and bruises. He remembers nothing of the crash and is still receiving counselling, the court heard.

West Sussex assistant deputy coroner Martin Milward heard that Simon had started to increase his speed after a TVR car had passed him on the A286 just before Easebourne.

The teenager then braked too late for a corner and hit the tree.

Mr Smith, the front seat passenger, said in a statement: "Simon's driving was smooth and confident. We didn't have any plans where we were going on that night, we just chatted about the car and Simon seemed really happy.

"That was the last thing I remember as the next morning I woke up in hospital."

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.