A motorist jailed for five years for killing two of his friends in a fatal car crash does not intend to drive again.

Jeyanthan Thangarajah, 27, was convicted by a jury at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday of two charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

Thangarajah, of Boundary Road, Crawley, was twice the legal drink drive limit and speeding when he crashed into a tree in Barnfield Road, near his home, on the night of September 24 last year.

Two of his four passengers, Tharmarajah Gnanarajah, 35, and Yappan Palini, 46, died almost instantly. A third back seat passenger, Maniyam Maniathanan, was left seriously injured. He is still in hospital and may have permanent brain damage.

Thangarajah, a Sri Lankan who has been in the UK since 1996, claimed the accident happened when Mr Gnanarajah, a father-of-one of Ridgeside, Three Bridges, who had been drinking, lent over from the back seat and grabbed hold of the steering wheel.

Thangarajah had been driving four friends to addresses in the Crawley area in his powerful Vauxhall Vectra when he changed his mind and told his passengers he was going to his house and they would have to make their own way home.

He said Mr Gnanarajah tried to get him to change direction by seizing the steering wheel. Thangarajah said he lost control and the car hit a tree and crashed into a wall outside the Black Dog pub.

He suffered minor injuries and a broken wrist. A fourth passenger, who was sitting in the front, Sinnutrai Uthayan, also suffered minor injuries.

When Thangarajah, who denied the charges against him, appeared in court for sentencing, Philip Meredith, defending, said: "He feels at the moment he simply does not want to drive again."

The court heard Thangarajah's legal status in the UK is currently being investigated. His application for asylum was refused, while his mother and siblings have been allowed to stay. The decision was made before the fatal crash.

Judge Austin Issard-Davies said he accepted the accident happened after Mr Gnanarajah had grabbed the wheel of the car.

He told Thangarajah: "When you drove your friends that night you did not intend to harm anyone. You have not harmed anyone in the past and I find it highly unlikely you will do anything like this again.

"Your actions have made widows of two women and rendered three children fatherless and ruined the life of another who may never recover from the serious disabilities which he now suffers from."

Thangarajah was also disqualified from driving for five years.

After the hearing Sergeant Richard Hornsey said: "I think it is a fair sentence. It highlights the fact driving a vehicle on a road is a serious business and if you drive at excessive speed and not in a position to control the vehicle, it can have serious consequences."