A YOUNG man who  fell asleep at the wheel  and crashed into a house has been jailed

Jacob James Cummins' passenger suffered life-threatening injuries and will be permanently affected, said Andrew Finlay prosecuting. 

York Crown Court heard the 20-year-old driver had worked for 13 hours before partying in York into the small hours and had twice ignored a woman friend's offer to drive him home.

Mr Finlay said Cummins smashed into a house in High Marishes north of Malton as he drove home at 2am.

Defence solicitor David Camidge said: "The primary factor was the defendant's lack of sleep".

Mr Finlay said Cummin's friend, dozing in the back seat was jolted awake by the impact which smashed a six foot by six foot hole in the house's wall.

He needed emergency surgery, his family were called to his hospital bedside to say goodbye and he had to undergo several other operations and months of bedridden agony.

"I feel it will wholly never go away and I will suffer for the rest of my life," he wrote in a personal statement. "I feel my life will never be the same,"

He is suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and other mental health problems, and needs sleeping pills to sleep, the court heard.

His physical injuries meant he had lost his job and stopped him getting a new one.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said: "The impact on him and his family has been nothing less than devastating."

Cummins had been awake since 6am the morning before the crash and had put in a long day's work, plus an evening socialising in York city centre and drinking.

"It is not possible to do that sort of thing and then drive safely," he told Cummins. "People must understand that cars can be lethal."

"You should be properly punished for the callous disregard of the warning you got" from the woman who had offered to drive the two men home, said the judge.

Cummins, of Castlegreen, Main Street, Sledmere, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for eight months.

"This may well seem very low to all those know the victim and the trouble and pain he has had," the judge said, but he had to follow national sentencing guidelines.

Cummins was also banned from driving for two years and four months and cannot drive again alone until he has taken an extended driving test.

His solicitor advocate David Camidge said: "Everyone was very lucky to get out of the car."

Cummins was a hard-working decent man who was remorseful for his actions that night. He had confessed what he had done to police at the time.

Mr Finlay said Cummins got up at 6am on September 15, 2021, and worked from 7am to 8pm.

He then went home, got changed and drove two friends in his Ford Fiesta to York for a night out. Cummins had two bottles of VK alcopop and one or two beers.

He drove out of York at about 2am by which time he had been awake for 20 hours non-stop.

He dropped off one friend at their house and was on his way to the second friend's home when he fell asleep.

He passed a breath test after the crash.