A garage manager jailed for the manslaughter of a trainee mechanic has been cleared and freed by top appeal judges.

Glen Hawkins was originally found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence which led to the death of 18-year-old Lewis Murphy and was sentenced to nine months in prison at Lewes Crown Court in March.

Mr Hawkins, 34, of Chatsworth Park, Telscombe Cliffs, helped Mr Lewis pour a mix of petrol and diesel into a waste oil tank when fumes were sucked into a boiler flue, sparking a massive fireball at the Anchor Garage, Peavehaven, on February 18 last year.

Mr Murphy was engulfed in flames and suffered 60 per cent burns. He died three days later from his injuries.

However, the conviction was quashed after Lord Justice Pill, sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court ruled that a statement Mr Hawkins gave which formed the core of the prosecution's case should not have been allowed to be admitted as evidence.

The judge, sitting with Mr Justice Henriques and Mr Justice Davis, told the court how Mr Hawkins also suffered burns from the accident and that the statement was made to a fireman while he was in great pain, heavily doped with morphine and suffering from shock.

Lord Justice Pill ruled that it was unfair for that statement to have been admitted as evidence, adding that it was contradicted by another statement made while he was more clear-headed.

He said: "We do not regard the procedure which was followed as satisfactory. He only uttered a couple of sentences to the fireman but they formed the core of the prosecution case.

"In our judgement the view should have been formed (at the time) that he was a suspect and the conversation should not have been admitted and that alone leads us to the conclusion that this conviction is unsafe."

The judge refused an application by the prosecution for a retrial.

Mr Hawkins, who has served all but a month of his sentence was freed with his reputation restored.

A letter read out by Mr Murphy's mother Elizabeth after the original conviction, said: "The loss of Lewis has left an unpluggable hole in the lives of the Murphy family.

"When there is humour in the family there is now a feeling of guilt because Lewis is not there to share it. Now they feel they should not be laughing because he is not there.

"I don't hate these people. Nobody would do these things on purpose. I just want someone to admit they made a mistake and to realise the devastation that has been caused."

In an interview with The Argus she said: "At the moment we are still not sure what there is to forgive or to not forgive. But I can forgive them.

"Glen and the whole garage came to Lewis' funeral.

"He came over to me and he cuddled me and he cried. He kept saying he was sorry and it should have been him, not Lewis.

"I think he still feels guilty about what happened and I would not like to live with what he now has on his conscience.

"He has got to live with that for the rest of his life.

"But we do recognise he has suffered as well and in that respect he is as much a victim as we are."