A 16-YEAR-old boy has been jailed for 38 months for his role in the death of a Malvern teenager.

Liam Ball, a 17-year-old barber, was in the defendant’s car when he crashed in Walsall, near Birmingham, on August 2.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously admitted death by dangerous driving and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday.

Liam’s friend Callum Fisher, who co-organised a charity football match in his memory, described the sentence as ‘disgusting.’

He said: “It’s frustrating. I’m very annoyed.

“Obviously he’s basically killed some one and he’s got three years for it. He will be out by the time he’s 19 and I think that’s disgusting but there’s nothing we can do about it.

“From the court's point of view it’s just another lad but to us it’s a lost mate, a brother, a cousin, a son. To us it’s more personal, he should be going down for longer.”

Mr Fisher, of Leigh Sinton Road, Malvern, said he hoped the sentence would help Liam’s family to rebuild their lives.

He added: “Hopefully it may take a bit of weight off his mother’s shoulders knowing that this kid is getting punished.

“It might put her mind at ease a bit. But it will never be easy for her. It might be the start of the healing process but it might be one of those things where she thinks ‘in three years he will be out’.”

Sam Meigh, Liam’s old boss at Camo Hair, in Reindeer Court, Worcester, previously said the teenager will be ‘deeply missed.’

He said: “Such a tragic loss. Liam was such a talented barber for his age. He always had a smile on his face and lived life to the fullest.

“He will be deeply missed by everyone involved with CAMO and we will never ever forget him.”

The convicted 16-year-old, who previously admitted driving without a licence, no insurance and failing to stop at the scene, has been banned from driving for 79 months and will serve his sentence in a young offenders’ institution.