A NEWPORT man was jailed for four months for failing to stop his car after a friend fell out and on to the M4, suffering fatal injuries.

Constandinos Jones, 23, sustained serious head injuries and died six days later, Newport magistrates heard yesterday.

Father-of-three Paul Lyndon Thomas, aged 40, of Clement Atlee Drive, Newport, who was driving the white Peugeot 106 at the time, admitted to failing to stop after the accident and failing to report it.

He received a four-month prison sentence for each of the two offences, to run concurrently. Unemployed Thomas - whom the court heard hoped to find work as a taxi driver - was also given nine penalty points on his driving licence.

In sentencing Thomas, chairman of the magistrates William Hard said: "At the time of the accident, serious physical injury to Constandinos Jones would have been inevitable, making the need to stop and report the accident more important."

Police found Mr Jones on the westbound hard shoulder near Junction 26 at around 12.45am on Friday, August 5.

Jamie Dewar, prosecuting, said a witness saw Mr Jones lying on his back with a "pool of blood" beneath his head.

He was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital and later to the University of Wales Hospital, Heath, in Cardiff.

Mr Dewar said: "The defendant should have stopped at the scene.

"Having not stopped he should have reported the matter within 24 hours of the accident." But Mike Sage, defending, said: "This was someone panicking in the heat of the moment in difficult circumstances."

He added: "One moment he is driving along, the next moment his friend decides to get out of the vehicle."

Thomas doubled-back to drive past Mr Jones to check he was being helped, the court heard, and later called the Royal Gwent Hospital to ask about his condition.

"He didn't have the courage to stop at the scene, fearful at the time," Mr Sage said. He said Thomas did not know why his friend of eight years chose to get out of the car. Mr Sage added that Thomas' partner was being treated for cancer and depended on Thomas to take her to hospital for chemotherapy.

The family of Mr Jones declined to comment.