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Ferrari death driver: 'I wasn't showing off' when boy was killed

A man who flipped a £1.2m Ferrari in an incident that killed a 13-year-old boy has insisted he was not showing off and suggested it may have been caused by a jammed accelerator pedal.

Alexander Worth died after being thrown from the car during a ride with Matthew Cobden on a farm access road on 22 August 2016.

Cobden, 39, offered the teenager a go in the Ferrari F50 after the partner of the boy's mother asked for a photo when they visited his car storage business.

He told Winchester Crown Court that neither had seatbelts on because he "had no intention of going at anything more than a very low speed and just along the track".

"I moved away very slowly and drove off the forecourt," Cobden said.

The defendant, who denies causing death by careless driving, added: "As soon as I touched the accelerator the car took off uncontrollably.

"I do not know if the accelerator pedal jammed or what had happened but I am certain that nothing I did caused the car to speed up in the way that it did.

"I do not recall a collision in any detail, I think I heard a thud or clunk-type sound but my memory is not clear.

"The next thing I was aware of was being out of the car on the ground. I do not know if I lost consciousness during the incident."

The car - capable of around 200mph - had hit a fence post and flipped, throwing them both onto the road.

"I looked around me and saw Alexander lying face down on the ground some distance away, back down the track," said Cobden.

"I turned him over and saw that he was unconscious.

"He appeared to have an injury to one of his arms. I was tapping his face to try and revive him and at the same time I shouted for help."

Cobden said he was going no faster than the 10mph limit, but when he crashed was probably going 40mph.

The married father said he suffered a punctured lung and fractured rib in the incident, which happened in North Warnborough, Hampshire, where his business is based.

Cobden told the court he looked after 160 cars, including a £22m Ferrari Nart Spyder, and that he knew how to "handle performance cars properly".

"At no point was I showing off, my business is about discretion," he said.

"It was just nice to put a young lad in one of his dream cars. There was no intention of doing anything stupid, I cannot stress that enough."

He added: "I just wish Alexander was still here. I am sorry for everything."

The trial continues.