Footballer jailed for causing friend's death on M5
A non-league footballer has been jailed for causing a crash on the M5 in Somerset that killed his friend.
Tom Pilling, 25, from Tiverton, admitted causing the death of Daniel Gunn, 24, by careless driving and driving without insurance.
He was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court to six months in jail and was banned from driving for two years.
The crash near Taunton on 9 March left a second passenger, Thomas Moyes, with life-changing injuries.
Pilling, who has played for a number of Devon football clubs, said he must have fallen asleep at the wheel of his Citroen Saxo at about 06:15 GMT after a night out in Bristol.
In a statement, which was read to the court at a previous hearing, Pilling said he accepted he was guilty because he had no recollection of how the accident happened.
"In the absence of any other explanation, I may have fallen asleep at the wheel and that caused the car to leave the carriageway," he said.