A JUDGE slammed a drink and drug driver for his “absolute poppycock” story that he was not at the wheel of a car when it entered a ditch and crashed into a tree.

John Albert Bond suggested the driver had left the vehicle and gone to hide in a hedge nearby.

However, he had actually been responsible for the crash, which left passenger Oliver John George with serious injuries.

Bond, 25, eventually confessed to being the driver and he was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on August 27 having pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through alcohol and driving whilst unfit through drugs.

Judge Robert Pawson, who jailed the defendant for two years and nine months, said Bond had pedalled a “cock and bull” story at the scene of the crash, adding that he was “not fully convinced” of his remorse.

Prosecuting, Sally Mertens said shortly before midnight on July 20, 2020, Bond was driving a Nissan X-Trail in Waterloo Road, Corfe Mullen, near the junction with Chapel Lane, at an excessive speed.

Such was this speed, footage from a CCTV camera at a property in the road could not pick up the vehicle’s registration plate.

A witness who was out walking their dog phoned 999 after seeing the manner of the driving.

Bond, of Coldharbour, Wareham, mounted the kerb before entering a ditch and crashing into a tree.

Ms Mertens said front-seat passenger Mr George was in “great difficulty” and could not be reached until emergency services got to the vehicle.

“He had to be cut out from the car. Both parties were taken to Poole Hospital,” said Ms Mertens.

The court heard a sample of Bond’s blood was taken at hospital. It contained 107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood – the legal limit is 80 milligrams.

The sample contained at least five micrograms of THC, a psychoactive constituent of cannabis, per litre of blood - the limit is two micrograms.

Analysis also found 372 micrograms of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, per litre of blood - the limit is 50 micrograms.

Ms Mertens said 28-year-old Mr George suffered a fractured pelvis. An initial medical assessment said he should make a full recovery in three to six months, but he is still suffering chronic pain more than a year on.

In police interview, Bond claimed he was in the rear seat of the vehicle and someone else had been driving.

However, he did not maintain this account and pleaded guilty to the most serious offence on July 23.

Mitigating, Nick Robinson said his client understood the seriousness of the offences.

The barrister said at the time Bond was “grossly immature” but he had taken “demonstrable steps” to address his underlying issues and he deserved credit for this.

The defendant was using drugs and drink at a “very significant level” when the offence took place, the court was told.

“He accepts full responsibility for his behaviour,” said Mr Robinson.

Judge Pawson was asked to consider the impact jailing Bond would have on his young children and to take into account the progress he had made in tackling his problems.

However, the judge said even if the custodial sentence he reached was in the range that could be suspended, the severity of the offence meant it could only be marked by immediate imprisonment.

“You left the road, drove along a pavement and struck a tree,” said Judge Pawson.

“The photographs speak for themselves.”

Alongside the prison term, Bond was disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years, with the ban starting when he is released from prison.