A pair of teenagers who killed a "superhero" dad by throwing a marine distress flare into his car while he slept on the back seat have been jailed for a total of 15 years.

Keani Hobbs, 18, of Stagden Cross, Pitsea, and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were found guilty of the manslaughter of Vilson Meshi, 31, and theft of the flares following a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Mr Meshi, who had been sleeping in his Audi A4 waiting to pick up his children in the morning, died from smoke inhalation after the lit flare was thrown into the car on February 26 last year in Pincey Mead, Pitsea.

The flare burned for 60 seconds at temperatures of up to 1,300C, melting the roof lining. Mr Meshi died from inhaling fire fumes.

In her sentencing, Judge Patricia Lynch QC told the pair that their actions were "reckless, stupid and dangerous".

She said: "The whole reckless enterprise was on the basis that it would be for fun to throw a lit flare into a vehicle where a man was asleep in the back.

"I accept that neither of you realised that the man was going to die but you must have realised that it was going to cause him some harm."

During the trial, jurors were told Hobbs said “oh f*** it” before lighting the flare and throwing it into the car.

Mr Meshi, who had travelled down from Manchester to see two of his children, was found in the locked car the following afternoon after his former partner Michelle Mehtab raised the alarm that he was missing.

A victim impact statement, written by Ms Mehtab, was read out in court.

She said: "My children get upset when daddy misses important events, like birthdays and Christmas.

"As much as we have the support of our family and friends, nothing can replace their superhero daddy in their eyes.

"I dread the future when I have to explain what has happened to their father. My children are confused and talk about their heartbreaking thoughts, they say 'I wish we could put a ladder to the sky so we could see daddy'."

Hobbs was sentenced to nine years for manslaughter and 12 months for theft, to run concurrently. Her co-defendant was sentenced to six years for manslaughter and 12 months for theft, to run concurrently.

As the sentences were read out, members of Hobbs' family stormed out of the court room shouting to the judge that she was "corrupt".