Early morning living-room crasher gets five years' jail

The scene in Rawcliffe, York, where James Sparham smashed his car into a family's front room. Photos / North Yorkshire Police

A couple have slammed a driver on a "motorised pub crawl" who devastated their lives when he crashed into their living room.

James Sparham has been jailed for five years after driving his car at high speed through the living room wall of a family home, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The 29-year-old was almost three times over the drink drive limit when he crashed through the wall of the home owned by David Garnett, 54 and his wife Claire, 50, in the early hours September 3 2017.

The crash, which caused damage totalling £175,000, left David with "life changing injuries" after he was trapped underneath the bonnet of the car, York Crown Court heard.

Two passengers who were also in the vehicle, Sophie Armitage and Nathan Lofthouse, were hospitalised after the crash in York, North Yorks.

Prosecuting, Rachael Landin told the court David and Claire had been sitting in their living room on separate sofas moments before the 3am crash, when she left the room to enter the kitchen and heard a "loud bang".

She then struggled to try to pull her husband from the rubble and their 12-year-old son came downstairs and witnessed the horrific sight of his father trapped, the court heard.

In a moving victim impact statement read on his behalf to the court, Garnett said he thought the car was going to "explode any second".

James Sparham.

He said: "That moment made my life change forever. I had to learn to walk again.

"I am a shell of the man from before the crash and I am in mental freefall. I don't know how I will ever recover from this incident."

Defending, Stephen Littlewood said Sparham was remorseful for his actions and had written a letter to the victims of the crash.

Sentencing Sparham, Judge Recorder of York Paul Batty QC said: "This is the worst case of causing damage by dangerous driving possible to imagine.

"You caused three people life changing injuries as a result of your driving.

A view of the car inside the house.

"A householder in his own home was trapped under your car when it crashed through the wall of his home.

"You caused life changing injuries to your two passengers. You were drunk at the relevant time.

"On this particular night you had been going on a motorised pub crawl."

Sparham pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one of criminal damage.

He was also banned from driving for a total of seven and a half years and must carry out an extended driving test.