A Wooburn Green motorist accused of knocking down and killing a 13-year-old boy will spend Christmas in a prison cell after magistrates today refused to give him bail.

Unemployed motor trader James Lavine stood in the dock in custody as a charge of causing the death of young pedestrian Max Simmons was put to him.

Max died in hospital after suffering massive head injuries when he was struck by a red coloured Audi TT car in Cookham on Saturday afternoon.

Eyewitnesses said that he was thrown into the air by the force of the impact.

Brown-haired Lavine was arrested at the scene of the crash in Switchback Road North on suspicion of driving while having cocaine in his system although he has not been charged with that offence.

Samples were understood to have been sent away for specialist forensic examination.

He was taken from the police station cells to Slough Magistrates' Court on Monday after spending two nights in custody.

Lavine, described as an unemployed manager in the motor trade living in Boundary Road, was told by JPs that he would spend Christmas in jail as he was remanded in custody, accused of killing 13-year-old Max by dangerous driving.

He was understood to have been remanded to Bullingdon remand jail in Bicester.

Max was rushed to the John Radcliffe specialist head injuries hospital in Oxford following the crash but died despite the efforts of surgeons.

Lavine, 34, sat in the dock at Slough Magistrates' Court, wearing a grey tracksuit and holding a small piece of tissue paper in his right hand.

The court was told that it was alleged by witnesses that the Audi car had been travelling at around 70mph when the boy was struck.

The bench was told that the defendant was a father-of-two and had worked for 15 years in the motor trade, first as a bookings clerk and later as a manager.

It was said he owned his own property and had a partner living in Cookham.

Matthew Higham, prosecuting, applied for a remand in custody for the accused but this was resisted by Lavine's defence lawyer who asked for bail for him.

Lavine was remanded in custody until January 27 and ordered to appear at Reading Crown Court to formally enter a plea.

He looked over at two women, one of whom was said to be his partner, and all three of them burst into tears as they heard he would spend Christmas in jail. He was then led from the dock to a waiting prison van.

In an emotional tribute after Max died, his mother said: "From one parent to all you parents out there, go home and hug your children.

"Just be there with them, hug them, tell them how much you love them, because Christmas presents are just stuff, love is free. Just love each other."