ALCOHOLIC Godric Goodrich has been jailed for three years after a drink-drive death crash.

Goodrich, 47, of Creswells, Corsham crashed his Peugeot 206 head on into Michael Matcham's Vauxhall Astra on Lacock Road in July.

Mr Matcham, 64, of Potley Lane, a self-employed painter and decorator, died the following day, Swindon Crown Court was told on Friday.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, said the accident took place at about 4.30pm on July 7 as Mr Matcham was driving home from work.

Goodrich was travelling at about 60mph approaching a set of bends in the road when he hit a patch of water.

A witness who was travelling in front of Mr Matcham told police she saw a plume of water hit the hedge at the side of the road as Goodrich went through the puddle.

"Then she became aware in her rear view mirror of the vehicle travelling to the offside and colliding with the vehicle being driven by Mr Matcham," Mr Welling said.

Mr Welling said witnesses at the roadside described Goodrich as standing smoking a cigarette and that he seemed distant.

He told witnesses the other car had veered into his lane and he maintained the story to the police when they arrived.

Officers realised he had been drinking and took him to the police station, where more than an hour after the crash he was found to have a reading of 64mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 35mg.

When he was questioned he told police he had drunk two pints of Red Stripe lager at the Royal Oak in Corsham that lunchtime, but later admitted it may have been four.

"He conceded that he was an alcoholic. Asked why he drove when he knew he was drunk he said because he had done before," Mr Welling said.

Mr Matcham's widow Maggie told the police her whole family had been affected by the death.

"I feel very angry towards this man. It angers me that he is at home with his family," she said in a statement.

"If he had not been drinking I maybe could feel this was an accident."

Goodrich admitted causing death by careless driving while unfit through alcohol.

Sarah Regan, defending, said: "Whatever he did on that day Mr Goodrich did not set out to harm Mr Matcham.

Jailing him, Judge John McNaught told Goodrich he acknowledged all the positive things he had heard about him.

"But on the other side is the terrible wrong that you did which has destroyed a good man's life," he said."You can make efforts to rebuild yours: he can't and his family will grieve for him forever."

Goodrich was also banned from driving for five years.