A DRIVER who was drunk and high on drugs when he crashed a stolen car, killing popular Newport woman Xana Doyle, has been sentenced to eight years and three months in prison.

Sakhawat Ali, 23, of Harrow Road, drove a stolen Toyota Avensis which hit both kerbs of Usk Way before spinning over early on January 9.

His cousin Shabaz Ali, 21, of Ribble Square, who was a passenger and had pulled up the car’s handbrake three times on their journey around the city, admitted  one count of "aggravated allowing to be carried involving a fatal accident" on January 9.

He was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison for his part in the crash.

The vehicle had been stolen from Shabaz Ali’s mother late the night before.

Sakhawat Ali was also banned from driving for six years and must take another test after that time.

He was was also given a five month concurrent sentence for driving with excess alcohol which he also pleaded guilty to today.

Judge Neil Bidder said in the aftermath of the crash they had told a “selfish and callous lie” that they were merely passing by the accident as emergency services looked to cut Ms Doyle, 19, and Liliana Breeds, 15, from the car.

And he said: “I am sure this is a case of joint responsibility of each of these defendants for the accident and the very untimely death of Xana Doyle."

He said Shabaz Ali had not applied the car’s handbrake immediately before the crash but his uninhabited behaviour was a contributing factor to it.

The car was being driven at 60mph – double the legal speed limit for Usk Way.

And Judge Bidder said while Sakhawat Ali had been “an unreliable witness” during the Newton hearing, he found Shabaz Ali to be a “thoroughly unreliable witness and dishonest”, who had told “lie after lie”.

The four had been at a party in Bettws, which started late on January 8 and continued until just before the accident. Sakhawat Ali had set out to drive Ms Doyle and Ms Breeds home but his ability had been badly impaired after taking four lines of cocaine and drinking whiskey. His cousin also took drugs and drink during the party.

Questioning him about his speed on Usk Way prosecutor Matthew Cobbe asked Sakhawat Ali: "You were showing off, weren't you?" Sakhawat Ali agreed he had been.

While Shabaz Ali said he had told his cousin to “drive like a learner”.

He told the court: "It was the early hours of the morning and I didn't think he'd be able to control the car."

In witness statements read to the court, Ms Doyle’s mother Emma O'Donoghue said her daughter was a woman “never without a smile” and “determined to work hard and build a life for herself”.

She said her life had been changed by Ms Doyle’s death and that it was hard to find comfort in anything: “This nightmare is real and never going to end.”

Ms Breeds said in another statement she was “angry with the people who were in the car with me [both Alis] and then not helping”.

Shabaz Ali has also been banned from driving for five years.