A 'big-hearted' Mulbarton teenager died when his friend lost control of his car and flipped it on to its roof, possibly after doing a handbrake turn, an inquest heard.

George Kirk, 18, of Gowing Road, died on March 25 last year on the B1134 The Street, Starston, as the car in which he was a passenger rounded a bend.

A Norwich inquest was told yesterday that the Vauxhall Astra, which hit a bank and a tree, had numerous faults, including worn tyres, corroded bodywork and a handbrake with excessive travel.

The driver, Daniel Rouse, was subsequently charged with causing death by careless driving, and in February was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work, and disqualified from driving for two years.

Pc Simon Hall, who investigated, said there were no witnesses to the 45mph crash, which Rouse said happened after he lost control on a patch of mud on the road.

When asked by Norfolk coroner William Armstrong if he had seen any mud, Pc Hall said: 'None at all.'

He said the tyre and handbrake wear suggested, in his opinion, there 'may have been a history of handbrake turns being carried out', though Rouse denied this.

Pc Hall said: 'If the driver attempted a handbrake turn as his car entered the right hand turn, this may explain what led to it turning sideways.'

Mr Armstrong recorded that Mr Kirk died as a result of a road traffic accident.

Mr Kirk's parents Naomi and Steve said he was 'warm, generous and big-hearted.'