Drugged-up boy racer lost control near Newstead and catastrophically injured his passenger

Josh Murdon was travelling at "grossly excessive speeds" in the miles before he understeered around a bend near Newstead Village, and his phone slipped off his lap on April 20 last year, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

"You bent down to pick it up and that inevitably caused you to lose control," Judge Steven Coupland told him.

"Your passenger was lucky not to be killed at the scene. He sustained life changing and lifelong injuries."

The court heard Murdon's passenger, his second cousin, was in a coma and on life support for some time. He was blinded in one eye and sustained "significant injuries" to his spine. He faces the prospect of an operation to prevent it deteriorating further.

Judge Coupland said it was “not an overstatement” to say his passenger's life is now a "living nightmare," and he will require continuing treatment for the rest of his life.

He told Murdon was more worried about the impact on himself than his victim and barely mentioned him when he was interviewed by probation officers.

And delays were caused because he failed to take responsibility straight away by making no-comment interviews.

Harry Bowyer, mitigating, said the crash "caused a great deal of grief on both sides of the family” and they were now estranged.

"He has got that entirely on his own shoulders," he said. "They used to go on holiday together."

He said it wasn't possible to calculate a definite speed from airbag evidence and the level of cannabis in his system may have been residue from the night before.

“He is facing a custodial sentence,” Mr Bowyer said. “He is realistic. He has his bag packed. A prison sentence will not be easy for him.”

Murdon, now 21, of Chapel Lane, Ravenshead, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving at a previous hearing in January.

On Tuesday he was sentenced to 26 months in prison. He was disqualified for four years and three months and must take an extended re-test.

Any custodial sentence will pale into insignificance beside the lifetime sentence his passenger faces, the judge told him.