A speeding driver who grievously injured three members of a family when he crashed into their car on Christmas Day has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Despite being injured himself, Jason Peachey callously fled from the scene in Sutton Road, Maidstone, and was later found to have traces of ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis and Codeine in his blood.

But because the 22-year-old, who had only passed his test two months earlier, denies he was unfit to drive through drink and drugs, the matter will have to be resolved by magistrates.

He was banned from driving for four years and three months, which will take effect at the end of the sentence.

Peachey’s Vauxhall Astra was on the wrong side of the road on December 25 last year when he smashed into a Peugeot 208 at about 10pm.

The driver, Christopher Walter, 54, his wife Debbie, 46, and her mother Patricia Leach, 67, were all badly injured and continue to suffer deeply.

Peachey, of Leesons Hill, St Paul’s Cray, admitted three offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop.

The couple and Mrs Leach were heading home in icy conditions after a Christmas party at a relative’s home in York Road, Maidstone.

The family was close to police headquarters and travelling at about 25mph in the 30mph limit.

“Mr Peachey was coming in the opposite direction driving far in excess of the speed limit,” said prosecutor Vivian Walters.

“Mr Walter described him as ‘driving like a crazy person’.

“Mr Peachey was on the wrong side of the road and lost control of the car. He collided with a wall and rebounded into the car driven by Mr Walter.”

Shortly before a civilian police employee saw Peachey driving on the wrong side of the road and put his speed at around 90mph as he went around a bend “like he was on two wheels”.

She stopped her car after the collision. She spoke to Peachey as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car and described him as “unnaturally sweating”.

He got out and she told him to wait for an ambulance. But he walked off making a telephone call.

Mr Walter, who runs Headcorn Gifts and Music in the High Street, had a broken sternum (breastbone), fractured ribs and three fractures to his left heel and ankle.

Mrs Walter, who runs Enhance Hairstyling in Headcorn High Street, had a fractured spine and shoulder and extensive bruising and cuts.

Mrs Leach, from Biddenden, had a life-threatening brain fracture, broken sternum, fractures to her spine and ribs, broken pelvis and severed artery.

One of the fractured ribs pierced her heart. She was in hospital for seven weeks.

Peachey was at Maidstone Hospital the next day being treated for a fractured spine and sternum he suffered in the accident when his father contacted the police.

When arrested Peachey said he drank alcohol after the crash at a friend’s home and claimed he drank 10 pints of beer on Christmas Eve, but none was found in his system in tests on Boxing Day.

The analyst did find use of cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and Codeine.

Peachey said he smoked two cannabis joints on Christmas Eve, took cocaine a day two earlier and ecstasy a week before.

But the analyst said if it was correct when Peachey said the ecstasy was taken a back calculation showed it would have been a lethal dose.

Judge Jeremy Carey said he could not speculate that Peachey was unfit to drive through drink or drugs as the matter would be dealt with by magistrates.

The judge told Peachey, who works as a team leader for a gardening maintenance company, three innocent people had been seriously injured as a result of his driving.

He was “wholly reprehensible” in leaving the scene after the crash knowing Mrs Leach was unconscious in the back seat.

“The effect of your wrongdoing was devastating for this family, and continues to be so,” said the judge. “They have suffered grievous injuries physically.

“Their day-to-day life has been so adversely affected that anyone listening to the account in the victim statement cannot fail to be moved.

“I don’t suppose the mere recital of these injuries does credit to demonstrate just how serious this has been for these three people.

“You left the scene as though you had something to hide. Leaving the scene is a very serious aggravating feature.

“Your counsel has urged that you should not go straight to prison. Your offending is far too serious for there to be anything other than immediate custody.”

Peachey will have to take an extended driving test before he can drive again.