Driver who left sisters paralysed after road rage chase crash jailed

A driver who smashed his company 4x4 into an oncoming car during a road rage chase, paralysing two young sisters, has been jailed for four years and six months.

Katrina and Karlina Raiba, now aged eight and six, were left with spinal cord injuries after the devastating crash on the A509 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, on October 3 last year.

Northampton Crown Court heard that Jaguar Land Rover manager Andrew Nay was "bullying" a woman driving a Mazda people carrier before the smash happened.

Video footage played to the court - and later released by the family - shows Nay, 39, of Harrier Close, Weldon, Corby, pulling right across a junction in his Land Rover Discovery into the path of the victims' Vauxhall Signum.

He admitted four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, but denied chasing the Mazda before the crash.

Judge Adrienne Lucking QC said: "This was a prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of very bad driving.

"No sentence I can pass will ever feel like enough for this family."

Addressing Nay, she said: "You maintained an account that was incredible and inconsistent."

Karlina and Katrina's parents, Roberts Raibais and Renate Raiba, also suffered broken bones in the crash and Northampton Crown Court heard their lives had been changed "200%".

Prosecutor Matthew Howcliffe said: "The family have been required to make changes to the lives and their lifestyle.

"Despite what has happened, both girls are making good progress."

Mr Howcliffe added that the family were required to move home to new accommodation adapted to their needs.

Marcus Kraehling-Smith, mitigating for Nay, said his client's actions had "altered the lives of four innocent people" and that he was "truly remorseful".

Reading a letter from Nay, Mr Kraehling-Smith said: "I am truly sorry for all the hurt, pain and devastation that I have caused to Mr Raibais, his wife and children.

"Never did I intend to cause the accident, to cause so much pain and upset. It upsets me greatly knowing that I have.

"I wake up knowing what I have done and hate myself. I wish I could change things. I know these words do nothing to help but I am truly sorry for everything."

Representing the family, Richard Langton, a serious injury specialist at law firm Slater and Gordon Lawyers, said: "Nay showed a total disregard for other people on the roads that day and these two innocent children paid the price.

"Their world has been turned upside down. He will serve time behind bars for his crime, but sadly no sentence can undo the damage caused.

"The footage is shocking to watch, but it sends a powerful message. Road rage destroys lives."