The devastated father of a 15-year-old Gorleston girl killed in a head-on collision on the A12 has urged young people not to drive 'like idiots'.

Eastern Daily Press: Daniel Watts.Daniel Watts.

Shaun Leaver's daughter Shannley was a passenger in a car being driven by 18-year-old Daniel Watts, who the court heard had been smoking cannabis and was trying to overtake on a bend.

After Watts was sentenced to 20 months detention in a young offenders' institution for causing the deaths of Shannley, of Gorleston, and 55-year-old Ronald Gates, from Knodishall, by careless driving, Mr Leaver criticised the length of the sentence for being too short and called for the number of passengers young drivers were allowed to carry to be restricted.

His views were echoed by Mr Gates' mother Maureen Gates, who said that while her son's death would have a lasting impact on her family, Watts would be released from his sentence after 10 months and could then get on with his life.

Nicola May, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court, said that Watts, now aged 19, had only passed his driving test 10 months before the fatal crash in October 2013 and following the collision traces of cannabis were found in his blood.

However, she told the court that Watts hadn't been charged with the more serious charge of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs because it hadn't been possible to quantify the extent to which his ability to drive was impaired by the cannabis because of the serious injuries he had received in the crash.

She said a 15-year-old girl who was a rear seat passenger in the car with Shannley had described Watts' driving before the accident as 'impatient' and said they had all been smoking cannabis.

Sentencing Watts, of North Denes Road, Great Yarmouth, Judge John Devaux said he had been driving his Citroen Saxo northbound along the A12 at Frostenden at around 8.30pm on October 8, 2013, when he had attempted to overtake another vehicle on a bend.

Mr Gates was driving southbound with his wife Ann in their Peugeot 106 when he was confronted by Watt's car on the wrong side of the road and there was a head-on collision.

Mr Gates and Shannley, who was a rear seat passenger in Watts' car which flipped over as a result of the collision, both died from their injuries.

Watts was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries including a broken foot, a shattered pelvis, a broken leg and a dislocated shoulder and was in hospital for five weeks.

Mrs Gates and two other passengers in Watts' car also suffered serious injuries.

In addition to being sentenced to 20 months detention, Watts was banned from driving for two years.

Shannley, who went to Lynn Grove High School in Gorleston, was described by her father as 'outgoing, fun loving and lovely'. He said there were no words to describe the devastating effect her death had on her family.

Simon Gladwell, for Watts, said his client took full responsibility for what happened and was 'totally remorseful' for the deaths and injuries that had resulted from his driving on the evening in question.

He said Watts genuinely had no recollection of the collision but a black box in his car for insurance purposes showed he hadn't been speeding prior to the collision.

He said Watts had no previous convictions and his girlfriend was pregnant.