Businessman could face jail over death of boy, 13, in supercar crash

A BUSINESSMAN could face jail after being convicted of causing the death of a 13-year-old boy in a crash in a £1.2m Ferrari.

Matthew Cobden, 39, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, lost control of the Ferrari F50 on August 22, 2016 while taking Alexander Worth for a spin.

The court was told that the supercar “accelerated uncontrollably” in a farm lane in North Warnborough, Hampshire, causing it to flip and throw the pair, who were not wearing seatbelts, from the vehicle.

Cobden denied causing death by careless driving, saying the car had a mechanical defect, but was convicted after trial at Winchester Crown Court on a majority verdict of ten to two.

Thomas Wilkins, prosecuting, told the trial that the Ferrari, due to be sold at auction, had been taken that day to an airfield in Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, to shoot a video to be used to market the car.

The accident happened after the car was returned to the car storage business run by the defendant on a farm site in North Warnborough, Hampshire. The court heard that Justin Smith, who supplied car batteries to Cobden, had brought his partner Arabella Worth, and her son, Alexander, with him when he visited the premises.

When the Ferrari was unloaded from the transporter, Cobden offered to take Alexander for a ride after Mr Smith asked if they could take a photograph of the supercar. Mr Smith told the court that Alex “in a flash, dashed” to get into the car. Cobden told the court that he drove off in the car carefully, not exceeding the 10mph speed limit.

Judge Keith Cutler adjourned sentence until March 26 to allow time for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.