A woman whose partner was killed in a road smash is furious after learning that the speeding driver who caused the tragedy could be freed after serving less than half his prison sentence.

Mother-of-three Alison Brown, 29, was devastated when taxi driver Gwyn Price, 29, died in the horrific accident on Newcastle's Central Motorway in August 2004.

Mr Price and another driver, student Andrew Moore, 22, were both killed.

Their cars were forced into a collision by Robert Parry, 22, who was racing a powerful Jaguar against Mr Moore's Renault Clio.

Mr Price, who lived with Ms Brown and their three children in Stakeford, Northumberland, died when the Clio hit the central reservation and catapulted into the air before landing on his Vauxhall Zafira in the opposite carriageway.

In March 2005 Parry, of Greenfield Place, Newcastle, was jailed for seven years and banned from driving for eight after being found guilty of two charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

But the Probation Service has told Ms Brown that he has been moved to a category D open prison and could be allowed out to work in the community in preparation for his release.

Ms Brown said the news has "rubbed salt in the wound" while she and children Holly, Grace and Adam are trying to rebuild their lives.

She said: "The original sentence itself was atrocious, as he will only serve three and a half years. To hear Parry is now being allowed out to work in the community is a complete farce.

"I believed he would at least serve half of the seven years. Now I am told he has been coming out of prison since Christmas."

Newcastle Crown Court heard in 2005 that Parry caused the killer crash by cutting in front of Mr Moore's car at 70mph - then he left the scene without stopping.

The earliest that Parry can be released on parole is February 2008.

A prison service spokesman would not comment on the individual case but said all prisoners moved to open prisons had been rigorously risk-assessed.