Man jailed after two badly hurt in car park crash

Two University of Northampton students were hit when Coulton lost control of the stolen Seat Leon

A man who crashed a stolen car into a car park - seriously injuring two university students who had to be airlifted to hospital - has been jailed.

Joshua Coulton, 23, lost control of the stolen black Seat Leon after a police pursuit in Northampton town centre on 18 October last year.

He pleaded guilty to six offences - including two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving - at a hearing in December and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison at Northampton Crown Court on Monday.

In an impact statement read out to the court, one of the victims, a woman in her 20s, said the incident had "destroyed my life and long-term future career plans".

Coulton will serve more than three years in prison

The University of Northampton master's degree student said: "I don't know if I'll ever be able to resume my career or manage to work again, as my injuries are significant."

The other victim, a man in his 20s, described hearing "the sounds of screeching tyres" followed by "intolerable pain across my body" and likened the sensation to like being "involved in an explosion".

Two of the victims' friends, also students at the university, narrowly avoided being injured.

Police said Coulton, of Military Court, Military Road, Northampton, failed to stop for officers in nearby St Peter's Way before the crash at about 15:35 GMT.

The force said after the collision, Coulton did not stop to check on the victims and instead ran away, later arriving at Northampton General for hospital treatment for injuries resulting from the incident.

Coulton also pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and without insurance, aggravated vehicle taking and failing to stop.

The damage caused by the crash left the car park closed to motorists for 10 days.

St John's car park, in Northampton, was closed for more than a week after the incident

Det Con Lee Norton, of Northamptonshire Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: "I am pleased to see this significant sentence handed to Coulton – a man who crashed a stolen car into two people and chose to run away instead of checking on them.

"I hope he spends his time in prison reflecting on just how much he's affected their lives."