A DRINK driver more than twice the legal limit when he caused a crash which killed his son is beginning a four-year jail term today.Robert Pearcy, 43, of Austin Street Ipswich, was on bail for his fourth drink driving offence when he lost control of his Ford Sierra on the A14 at Bury St Edmunds and hit a tree.

A DRINK driver more than twice the legal limit when he caused a crash which killed his son is beginning a four-year jail term today.

Robert Pearcy, 43, of Austin Street Ipswich, was on bail for his fourth drink driving offence when he lost control of his Ford Sierra on the A14 at Bury St Edmunds and hit a tree.

His 17-year-old son, Nathan, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat, suffered multiple injuries and died the following day in hospital, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Prior to the accident witnesses had seen Pearcy stagger out of a local club and get into the driver seat of his car before struggling to get the vehicle out of the car park.

One customer later told police that he had never seen anyone as drunk as the defendant attempt to drive a car.

Meanwhile motorists travelling Stowmarket-bound on the A14 at Bury St Edmunds were forced to take evasive action as Pearcy's car, drifted across the carriageway, said Lindsay Cox prosecuting.

Pearcy had lost control of the car and it had spun round 360 degrees before shooting up an embankment at speed and hitting a tree.

The car came to rest on its side and when emergency services arrived at the scene they found Pearcy trapped and suspended inside the vehicle.

The defendant, who was conscious and denying that he was the driver of the car, smelt strongly of alcohol and a Guinness glass was found in the footwell next to him, said Mr Cox.

The roof of the car was cut off to get Pearcy out of the vehicle and it was only then that rescuers realised that a second person was in the car.

Nathan who had suffered serious head injuries, was found compressed in the passenger footwell and he and his father were both taken to West Suffolk Hospital.

Nathan, who lived at Beyton Road, Thurston, died 24 hours later and a post mortem examination found that he had died from multiple injuries.

A blood sample taken from Pearcy four hours after the accident showed that he was more than twice the legal limit for drink driving.

Pearcy, formerly of Stowmarket, admitted causing Nathan's death by careless driving while unfit through drink on July 10 last year.

Jailing Pearcy for four years and banning him from driving for 10 years after which he must take an extended driving test, Judge John Devaux said he had been "very drunk" at the time of the accident.

He said Pearcy had admitted that prior to the accident he had been a regular heavy drinker and on many occasions had driven while over the legal limit without being detected.

Judge Devaux said Pearcy had convictions for driving with excess alcohol in 1979 and 1982 and had been banned from driving for three years in 1999 for a similar offence.

He said the present offence was made more serious by the fact that Pearcy was on bail for his fourth drink driving offence at the time of last year's fatal accident.

Pearcy is also banned from driving for four years.