A man has been jailed for 15 months for causing a collision which left two people with serious injuries.

The court heard that at around 7.30pm on Thursday, June 4 last year, Jamie Robert Thompson, 26, of Farnborough was driving his Vauxhall Corsa to a village shop in the Thornford area in North Dorset.

He had two passengers in the car.

When they arrived they discovered the shop was closed and Thompson drove out of Thornford toward Sherborne.

A friend of Thompson's told the court his driving was very dangerous and far too fast for the narrow country roads.

As they approached the bridge over the railway track on Thornford Road, one of the passengers said he saw the car was travelling at 85mph.

Due to the high speed the car was airborne as it crested the bridge.

When it landed it lost control and struck a cyclist before rolling and coming to a rest on its roof.

One of the passengers, a 16-year-old boy from the Yeovil area, sustained serious injuries to his hand which required surgery.

The cyclist, a 57-year-old man who lives in Germany and was visiting relatives, sustained serious bruising and muscle damage to his legs and torso.

Thompson was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. 

He was also handed a three-year driving ban.

Police Constable James Howes, of Dorset Police’s Traffic Unit, said: “Jamie Thompson’s manner of driving fell well below the expected standard.

"He was travelling too fast along a rural road and his actions that day resulted in two people sustaining serious injuries.

“I hope the sentence handed out by the court will act as reminder that anyone committing dangerous driving offences will be caught and dealt with robustly by the courts.

“I would like to remind motorists not to become complacent when travelling on rural roads in the county. The speed limit is there for a reason and I would urge people to ensure that they remain aware of the potential dangers that exist around each corner.”