When a blood test revealed cannabis in Paul Westody's body after he crashed his souped-up Volvo C30, it was the second time he had been caught drug driving in four months.

He had been stopped for a similar offence on December 30, 2020, in Norton.

Traffic Constable Mark Patterson, of North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group, said after the crown court hearing: "On that occasion, he was double the limit for cannabis. He pleaded guilty and was given a 12-month driving ban when he was eventually sentenced in December last year."

“Taking his previous drug driving incident into consideration, Westoby was blatantly in breach of the law on the day of this very serious collision."

“It could so easily have ended his own life or tragically taken the lives of other motorists or pedestrians.

“I welcome the firm stance taken by the court with the custodial sentence, and it is pleasing that Westoby has been disqualified from driving for three years with a three-month extension.

“We simply will not tolerate this type of behaviour on our roads, and we will continue to do everything in our power to bring such offenders to justice and make our roads safer for everyone.”

Read more about Westoby's terrifying driving here