A YOUNG mother told how her life has been torn apart by a driver who killed her son when he overtook a school bus.

Kirstie Buckle, 23, of Barkston Ash, near Tadcaster, said her life had been "perfect" when she awoke on the morning of January 14 this year.

But later that morning, happiness turned to tragedy as her three-year-old son, Blake, was killed in a head-on crash with a Mitsubishi 4x4.

The crash left Kirstie herself so badly injured that she is still in a wheelchair.

At York Crown Court yesterday, the Mitsubishi driver, Justin Thomas Martin, 32, was given a jail term of three years and nine months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

The court heard that Martin had overtaken a school bus, crashing into Kirstie's Rover car in Headwell Lane, a narrow country lane off the A162, near Saxton.

Prosecutor Peter Moulson said Kirstie would be left with some permanent injuries, and would be wheelchair bound for several more months. He said Kirstie been bedbound for three weeks after being airlifted to hospital after the crash. He said she had so far undergone six operations, all under general anaesthetic, lasting between four to six hours.

Her injuries included a broken collar bone, six broken left ribs, and a completely shattered ankle. She now has difficulty in breathing, and is on beta-blockers to help her cope with panic attacks.

After Martin was led to the cells, the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, told Kirstie: "I recognise that no sentence of the court can possibly repair your grievous loss. I had enormously hoped that you would be out of a wheelchair and I hope that in the fullness of time you will be."

Speaking after the sentence, Kirstie said she was glad Martin had been sent to prison. But she added that she would carry "mental scars" for life.

"Whatever sentence was given wouldn't ever bring Blake back," she said.

Fighting back tears, Kirstie remembered her son, born on July 8, 2000, as being "full of zest", bringing a smile to the face of everyone he met. "He could already write his own name," she said.

"He was a boy with a big personality."

She said she wanted to thank everybody involved in her case, including the police and the media.

Blake's father, Mark Spencer, said: "Nothing can ever replace Blake. But we have to move on now."

Updated: 10:48 Tuesday, August 17, 2004