A WOMAN left with life changing injuries by a speeding driver was stunned to hear he has appealed against the length of his sentence.

Steven Briddon, of Rose Street, York, hit Linda Atkinson as she waited at traffic lights in St Maurice's Road after overtaking three taxis at 60mph in Jewbury.

York Press:

Steven Briddon

She was thrown into the air and suffered catastrophic injuries, leaving her in a coma for three weeks and on a life support machine.

Doctors came close to turning off the machine, but her family intervened and she now requires round-the-clock care at home.

She suffered brain injuries, a speech impediment and has problems with the sight in her left eye.

Briddon admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for two years and eight months. He was banned from driving for four years and four months, but unsuccessfully appealed for it to be reduced last week.

Ms Atkinson, 50, believed the first sentence was too short and has slammed Briddon for attempting to have it cut.

She said: "It’s disgusting and I don’t know how he has the nerve to try and get it reduced.

“It should have been longer, not reduced. It wasn’t long enough in the first place.

“It’s totally amazing that he’s tried to get it shortened.

“There are still so many cases like this in the paper about other people being hurt by drivers.

York Press: Road to Justice embed

“We are relieved that he hasn’t been able to have it cut, but I don’t think I could put my feelings into words if it was."

A victim impact statement was read out at York Crown Court on behalf of Billy Brolly, Ms Atkinson's partner.

He revealed the heartbreak he had endured during seeing his partner in hospital.

He said: "Since the day of the collision I have not been able to work and this in itself has caused me financial distress, worry and depression.

"This whole incident has left me sad. We are struggling in life as a couple but we will fight on."

The Press launched a campaign last month calling on the Government to rewrite sentencing guidelines for drivers who kill or seriously injure others on the roads, and several other media outlets around the country have since made similar calls.

We believe reckless drivers responsible for killing or inflicting life-changing injuries should not be punished lightly.

Judges are bound by strict guidelines which limit the sentences they can hand down and we want those guidelines to change to give victims and families a sense of justice when they walk out of the courtroom to begin rebuilding their lives.

To support the campaign sign the petition at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/156369