A motorist more than twice the legal drink-drive limit who ploughed into a parked car in a suicide bid, seriously injuring the driver, has been jailed for 10 months.

Charlotte Birt, 34, was said to have lost control of her Mercedes C220 after "flying past" an ambulance at an estimated 100mph and then pulling "suddenly" into a layby on the A21 in Sevenoaks.

Her car careered into a Vauxhall Vectra, causing it to roll over more than once and sustain "massive" damage.

The driver, Zoe Chappell, who had stopped in the layby to change her shoes, had to be cut free from the wreckage by the fire service.

Her injuries included fractures to both sides of her pelvis, multiple cuts and bruises and dental damage, and Maidstone Crown Court heard she was confined to a wheelchair for eight weeks.

"Your actions were calculated in that you were suffering from depression and chose to drink alcohol to boost your courage in your resolve to end your own life" Judge David Griffith-Jones QC

Her passenger, Ian Murphy, managed to free himself from the Vectra but sustained whiplash and a lower back injury.

The court heard he was unable to return to full duties as a police officer until recently.

Birt, of St Martin's Lane, Beckenham, admitted causing serious injury to Miss Chappell by dangerous driving, and driving with excess alcohol.

Her reading was 166mlg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80.

The court heard Birt was suffering from depression and alcohol problems at the time of the suicide bid in November last year.

No charges were brought against Birt in relation to Mr Murphy, but Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said the fact he was injured was an aggravating factor.

It was also Birt's second conviction for drink-driving and, despite being urged to impose a suspended sentence, the judge said he would be failing in his public duty if he did not send Birt immediately to prison.

Jailing Birt, he added that Miss Chappell and Mr Murphy were lucky to have survived such an "horrific" crash.

"Your actions [that night] were calculated in that you were suffering from depression and chose to drink alcohol to boost your courage in your resolve to end your own life.

"This crash was indeed to be the fulfillment of that objective, although I make it clear that your final actions leading to the crash were impulsive and I accept did not involve any intention that anyone other than yourself should be harmed.

"Nevertheless, such actions were plainly reckless in the extreme."

Judge Griffith-Jones added that while Birt deserved "considerable sympathy" for her own problems and had expressed genuine remorse, he could not suspend the sentence.

"Your drinking and your driving that night were calculated. You drove to the pub where you drank in order to develop Dutch courage.

"She accepts that in her mind she was trying to commit suicide. But I reiterate there was absolutely no intention on her part to cause harm to others" - Louise Oakley, defending

"From the pub you set out on the road and proceeded deliberately to drive at a frightening speed and ultimately to run your car into a collision with another, stationary vehicle."

Birt, who was said to work for a "financial instituition", was also banned from driving for three years.

In a letter to the court Birt, who sat crying in the dock, wrote: "I think about the two passengers daily and can only imagine what they went through and how scared they must have been."

She added that she was "truly ill" that day and had had "so many demons" hanging over her.

The court heard Birt had a history of alcohol problems but in early 2013 had sought help from her GP and support groups.

However, after the break-up of her relationship and being signed off work for several months, Birt took an overdose.

Louise Oakley, defending, said Birt thereafter received care as an out-patient but on the morning of the accident on November 17, she awoke "with demons" and felt very depressed.

That evening she drank a large amount of alcohol "to put her intentions into reality", said Miss Oakley,

Having left the pub, Birt headed home but became lost.

"We would then have to concede that she was driving at a very high speed and she pulled into that layby and hit what she believed to be an unoccupied vehicle," added Miss Oakley.

"She accepts that in her mind she was trying to commit suicide. But I reiterate there was absolutely no intention on her part to cause harm to others."

After the crash, Birt underwent a month of alcohol detoxification and group therapy as a hospital in-patient.

She has not driven nor drank alcohol since.

Miss Oakley said Birt would need at least another 12 months on an aftercare programme and that medical reports had concluded prison would have a "very serious, adverse effect" on her mental health.