An uninsured and unlicenced driver who mowed down and killed a pedestrian in Wolverhampton while showing off in his father’s Mercedes was facing a lengthy prison sentence today.

Sukhdeep Singh Toor showed no reaction as he was found guilty of causing the death of Keith Buxton by dangerous driving.

The 22-year-old, who only had a provisional driving licence, was behind the wheel of the C class sports car taking two friends on a night out when he ploughed into pedestrian.

Mr Buxton, 57, who was crossing the A41 dual carriageway at Chapel Ash.Tests showed the car had been going at least 15mph more than the 30mph limit when tragedy struck.

Toor admitted: “I was driving in a place where there were a lot of people so I was making the car sound noisy because I wanted to bring attention to it.”

When asked why, Toor, who was 20 at the time of the crash on the evening of July 23 2008, said: “ I was a bit of a prat at that age.”

Mr Buxton suffered multiple injuries and was taken to New Cross Hospital where he died around two hours later. Toor drove home after the crash but was traced as witnesses recorded the registration number of the car, which belonged to his father.

Today Mr Buxton’s widow Carolyn paid tribute to him as a “warm, vibrant and intelligent man with a charismatic smile that matched his personality”.

“We had been together for 21 years and married for two,” she said.

“He was a big man in stature and presence who was generous and preferred to see people laughing and receiving good news in their lives. He is deeply missed by all who knew him.”

Pc Adrian Quiney, a police officer involved in the case, said: “The family have had to wait 20 months for this case to be concluded and I am glad that the outcome has finally provided them with some satisfaction.”

Toor of Benson Avenue, Goldthorn Park, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving yesterday and cleared of aggravated vehicle taking involving a fatal accident.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a date to be fixed after April 14.