A 30-year-old London man whose dangerous drug and alcohol fuelled driving in the Cotswolds left two people seriously injured has been jailed for 32 weeks.

At Gloucester Crown Court on Wednesday (June 15) prosecutor Nadeem Aullybocus said Samuel Mantey of Christopher Close, Southwark, London, had been drinking and using cocaine the night before setting off to drive from Birmingham to London on September 12, 2021.

On the journey, he collided head-on collision with two other vehicles on the A40 at Northleach.

Mr Aullybocus stated that Mantey had left Birmingham at 4.30am after only a few hours of sleep and that about an hour-and-a-half into the journey he had lost concentration on the A40 and drifted over to the wrong side of the carriageway.

Mantey collided with a Vauxhall Corsa, driven by Phillip Spencer, then hit a van being driven by Norman Carter who had a passenger, Angela Watkins. The couple were going on a short break away.

The court was told that Ms Watkins was trapped inside the van for over two hours before she was airlifted to a hospital in Bristol.

Both Mr Carter and Mantey were taken to hospital by ambulance. Mr Spencer was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Mr Aullybocus added that Mantey had no recollection of the collision. There was significant damage to the van, which was written off by the insurance company.

The judge, Recorder Richard Mawhinney, said "This was not the most direct route between Birmingham and London. Going via Northleach would have meant the journey would have taken three hours to complete. The collision occurred about an hour and a half after he had left Birmingham."

The court was told that Ms Watkins sustained multiple injuries to all four limbs. She had a fracture to her collarbone along with numerous bones in her arms. She also suffered a hip fracture, fractures to both upper legs along with fractures to both tibia-fibula in her lower leg.

Ms Watkins also sustained multiple foot fractures. Other less serious injuries included rib fractures and a hernia. She spent two days undergoing surgical procedures which involved several metal plates being inserted into her body to aid recovery.

Ms Watkins stayed in hospital for five weeks before being released. She now faces life-long persistent disability and functional limitation with associated pain.

Ms Watkins is still waiting for a number of other operations to remove foreign debris from her arm and a hernia operation. Her mobility is severely limited and she is still under the care of an osteopath for rehabilitation.

Mr Carter suffered from a number of fractures to his arm and shoulder along with a number of his ribs. He was taken to hospital in Oxford and is still undergoing physiotherapy and is still taking strong pain-killers.

The prosecutor said: "Today he is angry and upset over seeing his partner trying to get around with all her injuries. He is angry over the role that alcohol and drugs played a part in the collision. He is so angry he doesn't want to see the Mantey being sentenced."

Christopher Folkes, defending, said: "Mantey was using his sat-nav and that is why he took the route he did and was intending to take a break during the journey. All the financial losses and medical procedures are covered by insurance, however the sentimental items in the van will not be.

"Mantey had made this journey several times from Birmingham to London to attend his church. However, on this occasion he went to a social gathering where he accepts, he drank more than he would normally do and accepts that he used cocaine.

"He did not make a conscious decision to drive while over the drink-drive limit. He did not appreciate that he was twice over the legal limit for driving.

"This dangerous driving incident does not have the normal hallmarks for this type of offence. He was not speeding, racing, driving through red traffic lights. There was none of that. He merely momentarily lost concentration. He drifted across the carriageway with devastating consequences.

"Mantey arrived from Ghana as a four-year-old and has been in the country ever since. He had been, until this accident, a health care manager and coordinator in London. He is now unemployed.

"He is physically unable to do his job and because of his own injuries he is limited in the roles he can now undertake.

"He is angry with himself over the injuries he has caused to Ms Watkins and Mr Carter. He knows the ongoing effects of being involved in a car accident because he himself had to learn to walk again after being seriously injured in a car crash as a 10-year-old."

Mantey pleaded guilty to two charges of causing serious injury to Angela Watkiss and Norman Carter by driving dangerously in a Mercedes car on the A40 at Northleach on September 12, 2021.

He has also admitted having alcohol at between 98 and 230mgs in his blood (the legal limit being 80mgs) and having an excess level of benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine) in his blood on the same date.

Recorder Mawhinney told Mantey: "You would have been tired having consumed a quantity of alcohol that put you over the limit for driving. You had also taken cocaine during the previous evening. However, you still took a conscious decision to drive having had very little sleep.

"You pleaded guilty to all charges at the magistrates court. There are no guidelines to follow for dangerous driving like this. This was piece of dangerous driving and I have taken into consideration both victims' ongoing injuries.

"It was a long journey, and the route you had decided to take, would have meant a trip of about three hours. You made a conscious decision to leave at that time of day to make that journey to attend church.

"You lost control of your vehicle and drifted onto the wrong side of the road leading to a head on collision with two vehicles. The injuries to your victims were serious, but it could have easily been so much worse.

"These injuries will have a long-term impact, not just on their health but their employment and lifestyle.

"I accept that you have struggled with your own mental health since the accident and your subsequent diagnosis of adjustment disorder. I have also taken into your background and the references submitted on your behalf as well as noting the role you played in your church.

"However the least sentence I can impose is 32 weeks and it is not appropriate for me to suspend it. You didn't have to make that journey when you had consumed so much alcohol and taken drugs."

The judge also disqualified from Mantey from driving for three years that begins on the date he is released from prison. Mantey's driving licence was also endorsed for the alcohol and cannabis driving offences and was fined a total of £100.