Passengers thrown into the air as drunk driver smashes into car during police chase

CCTV footage shows chase's violent conclusion, as man behind wheel is jailed for two years

A drunk driver has been jailed for two years after smashing his convertible into another car while being chased by police.

Damian Cleaver was already subject to a driving ban when he ploughed his Vauxhall Astra into the Mercedes as officers pursued him for dangerous driving.

CCTV footage of the incident, in Leicester, shows two of his passengers being thrown into the air and coming down to land on the vehicle’s doors.

Cleaver, 31, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop, having no insurance, driving when disqualified and driving when over the legal alcohol limit during a hearing at Leicester Crown Court.

He further admitted breaching a six-month suspended sentence for an earlier dangerous driving offence, of which four months were activated, court staff told The Independent.

Alexander Wolfson, prosecuting, said Cleaver was "flying down the road and went head-on into a Mercedes. The other driver had no chance of avoiding him,” the Leicester Mercury reported.

The Mercedes driver, who suffered whiplash, said he was "shocked and disturbed", and felt lucky to be alive. The court heard he had let his children out of the car only minutes before the smash.

Sentencing, Judge Ebraham Mooncey said: "I'm quite satisfied you were showing off, driving that open-top car, at speed during daytime. It was a residential area and you had no regard for other road users."

Cleaver, of Beaumont Leys, Leicester, was also banned from driving for another four years.

Additional reporting by SWNS