A DANGEROUS driver  who caused a serious crash which left a man in a wheelchair has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Corneliu Ionita, 23, drove his Volkswagen GTI so dangerously that a collision “was an accident waiting to happen”, His Honour Judge Jamie Sawyer said.

In July last year, the defendant was driving at 75mph in a 40mph zone and approached a hidden dip in Church Hill, Faulkbourne, while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Swerving back into the left lane to avoid a collision with an oncoming Mini, Ionita lost control of his car and veered back across the road before colliding with a Fiat 500, which ended up in a field.

Mini driver Nigel Bowen was badly injured and police were called to the scene.

An ambulance took Mr Bowen to Broomfield Hospital where he stayed for several weeks, before being moved to a rehab hospital for a prolonged period.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Ionita, of Scraley Road, Heybridge, had a dashcam device seized from his car by police who found several more instances of dangerous driving over the previous ten days.

They included driving at 120mph in a 60mph zone, doing 70mph on the wrong side of the road in a 30mph zone, and doing 60mph in a 30mph zone at night with the car headlights switched off.

Ionita admitted five charges of driving dangerously and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

A victim impact statement, read out to the court by Richard Paterson, prosecuting, detailed the extent of Mr Bowen's injuries.

It read: “Before the accident, I had no physical problems. I am now in a wheelchair.

“I can’t roll my feet, so I can only take short steps.

“I can’t stand up straight when I walk as my right knee can’t take the weight – I can only stand still for a minute or so.”

Ionita was sentenced to two years and six months in a young offenders’ institution.

His mother shouted “No” from the public gallery as Judge Sawyer passed his sentence.

Prison 'will come as a great shock' to defendant

A BARRISTER has said her client was "frightened" of going to prison after his dangerous driving caused a driver to suffer serious injuries.

Jane Sarginson, mitigating, said the prison system would "come as a great shock" to Corneliu Ionita, who was sentenced on Wednesday for a string of road offences, including one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

She said: "He might be sorry for himself, but he is certainly very sorry for the people he has affected.

"He wants to be a mechanic - he wants to be involved in cars.

"We have young man who has made a very, very bad mistake - it is a very serious learning curve."

Judge Sawyer deemed Ionita's offences too serious for anything other than a prison sentence. 

Chelmsford Crown Court heard the victim of the road traffic accident which Ionita caused could no longer live independently.

Part of the statement read: "My short-term memory is impaired and I find it hard to concentrate when trying to write and deal with money.

"I am dependent on my carers, family, friends and neighbours for most things.

"I am not able to work as an engineer machinist - my job is physical and I need to be able to walk and manoeuvre frequently around machines."

Ionita will serve half of his two year and six month sentence.

Want to read all the Gazette’s crime, court, and inquest coverage in one place? Join our Colchester & Tendring Crime and Court News Facebook group.