Matthew Cobden killed Alexander Worth after losing control

A 13-year-old schoolboy was killed in a tragic crash when a businessman took him for a drive in an ‘iconic’ £1.2million Ferrari supercar without a seatbelt and ‘misjudged its formidable power,’ a court heard today. 

Alexander Worth was declared dead at the scene after Matthew Cobden, 39, ‘over-accelerated’ in the high-performance Ferrari F50 and lost control, causing the vehicle to smash into a wooden post and fly through the air.

Moments before, Alexander’s mother’s partner had asked if the teenager could have his picture taken inside the vehicle, but Cobden instead told him he could take him for a ‘short drive’.

A court heard today Cobden may have failed to ‘properly take into account’ that the supercar – capable of reaching 60mph in less than four seconds – was a left-hand drive.

The high-powered vehicle, which has been claimed to be ‘the closest you can get to an F1 car on the road’, was launched into the air after it hit the post and flipped and turned 270 degrees.

Winchester Crown Court, Hants, heard Cobden took Alex for a drive around 8.30pm on August 22, 2016, at a farm estate where his high-end car storage business is based in North Warnborough, also Hants.

Prosecutor Thomas Wilkins said conditions and visibility were good and the Ferrari was in ‘working order’ without any defects and had been filmed earlier that day in Bruntingthorpe, Lincs, by a car magazine without any issues.

The crash occurred on a narrow track which has an advisory speed limit of 10mph and Mr Wilkins said Cobden may have ‘misjudged’ the road as a result of sitting on the left.

Alex, from Kings Worthy, Winchester, was at the estate with his mother Arabella Worth as her partner, Justin Smith, was delivering a car battery. 

Mr Smith approached Cobden and asked if Alex could have his picture taken in the Ferrari, which was being kept by the businessman before it was to be sold at auction.

Cobden, of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, and who owns the company Toy Stor-age, denies one charge of causing death by careless driving.

Matthew Cobden (pictured left) is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of causing the death by careless driving of Alexander Worth (right)

Mr Wilkins, opening the trial, said: ‘Alex died when the car drove off the right hand side of the road into a lowered fence-post which launched them into the air, flipping it and turning it 270 degrees. Road and weather conditions and lighting were not issues.

‘The prosecution say this was caused by simple driver error, in other words Mr Cobden failed to be a careful and competent driver and that caused Alex’s death.

‘There was unusual features about the car. It was left-hand drive – it may be that Mr Cobden failed to properly take it into account. From where he was sitting he may have misjudged it on the road and veered off to the right.

‘The road bends gently to the left and he might not have realised that until it was too late and the car became airborne.

Cobden, who owns the company Toy Stor-age, denies one charge of causing death by careless driving

‘The most unusual feature about the car was that it was a powerful vehicle, it was a Ferrari F50.

‘To give you an idea of its power, it can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in under four seconds. It’s been described as the closest you can get to an F1 car on the road.

‘The defendant said afterwards that shortly beforehand he put his foot on the accelerator and it just took off uncontrollably.

‘When interviewed he said ‘I put my foot on the accelerator very gently and it shot and all I can remember is a bang or a thud’.

‘There is ample evidence it was in working order earlier that day, a lot of money had been spent bringing it to the highest specification.

‘The defendant simply misjudged the formidable power of this iconic car, over-accelerated and lost control.

‘His defence is that nothing he did caused the crash but a defect caused it to roar off and he was unable to stop it.’

Mr Wilkins said Alex had been at the farm with his mother and her partner Mr Smith, who was there to deliver a car battery, and he approached Mr Cobden to ask if the youngster could have his picture taken.

Mr Wilkins said: ‘Mr Smith asked if a picture of Alex could be taken with him sat inside the front of the car. The defendant said he was taking the car for a short drive and that Alex could come with him.

‘He got into the car, neither were wearing seatbelts.’

After explaining the car travelled down the track, Mr Wilkins said: ‘Mr Cobden pressed the accelerator and the car quickly accelerated, subsequently coming into contact with the wooden post and causing it to roll. 

The £1.2million supercar crashed into fencing (pictured), killing Alexander and leaving Cobden with serious injuries

‘Alex was declared dead at the scene and the car was extensively damaged.’

Mr Wilkins said testing of the vehicle revealed there were ‘no pre-collision defects which contributed’ to the accident.

He said: ‘The conclusion by crown testing was that there were no pre-collision defects which contributed to this fatal accident.’

The court also heard £50,000 worth of refurbishments were made by the vehicle’s owner over the course of a year after they bought it in 2015.

Mr Wilkins said: ‘It was only beng stored at the site pending a sale at auction. The owner bought the car in 2015 and spent £50,000 on it before deciding to sell it.

‘It was taken to Bruntingthorpe in Lincolnshire that day for filming by the firm auctioning it. A motoring journalist said it was a ‘fabulous example of a Ferrari F50′.’

Only 349 Ferrari F50s were built, between 1995 and 1997, and they now change hands for as much as £1,500,000.

They can reach speeds in excess of 200mph and are capable of going from 0-60mph in under four seconds.

When the Ferrari F50 was introduced in 1995, the two seater was the top of the Ferrari range. The 4.7 litre V12 engine it uses was developed from the Alain Prost’s 1990 Ferrari F car – but is bigger.

The last F50, which has a removable hardtop roof, was produced in Ferrari’s Maranello factory in Italy in July 1997.

The trial continues.