A van driver who fell asleep at the wheel on a motorway and caused a pile-up that left others with devastating injuries has been jailed for 14 months.

Stanislaw Wylecial was told by a judge he would “spend no more than seven months in custody” before he was released.

The maximum sentence that could have been imposed was five years imprisonment.

The 46-year-old bakery and pizza delivery driver could now face deportation back to his native country of Poland because the sentence is more than a year.

“It is remarkable to say the least that there were no fatalities. I reach the sure conclusion you fell asleep at the wheel of your vehicle. The duration was short but had devastating consequences.” — Judge Jeremy Carey

Maidstone Crown Court heard Wylecial, who had undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea at the time, ploughed into the back of a lorry on an unlit part of the M20 at about 70mph.

Judge Jeremy Carey told him: “It is remarkable to say the least that there were no fatalities. I reach the sure conclusion you fell asleep at the wheel of your vehicle. The duration was short but had devastating consequences.”

Wylecial was banned from driving for four years and seven months and will have to take and will have to take an extended test before his licence is returned.

He was driving his Fiat Ducato on the inside lane of the M20 between junctions 8 for Leeds and 9 for Ashford at 4.30am on October 15 2015 when he hit the Mercedes lorry.

Prosecutor Ian Hope told Maidstone Crown Court the lorry driver pulled over while Wylecial’s van ended up in the middle of the motorway.

A second lorry came across the scene, with the driver having to manoeuvre into the fast lane to get around the wrecked van.

Daniel Martini, who was travelling with his fiance Eriselda Zequ in an Audi TT, had to swerve, clipping the vehicle and coming to a rest in front of the van. Both occupants left the car and moved to the hard shoulder.

But a Vauxhall Vivaro van driven by Jason Mason, with fellow railway colleague Trevor Jones as a passenger, was unable to avoid the obstruction, colliding with it and careering into Mr Martini and Miss Zequ and down a bank.

All four victims were then trapped inside and underneath the van.

Mr Martini suffered a broken back, Miss Zequ was most seriously injured with multiple fractures and liver damage, Mr Mason broke his pelvis, leg and ankle, and Mr James broke his collarbone and fractured his back.

Wylecial had since been diagnosed with sleep apnoea and could have suffered a “sleep attack” at the wheel. If that was the case, said Mr Hope, he should never have driven in the first place as he would have felt highly fatigued.

The father-of-two, of Prospect Road, Sevenoaks, denied dangerous driving and four of charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but was convicted.

He was sentenced to 14 months for the causing serious injury by dangerous driving offences and six months concurrent for dangerous driving.