Teen filmed himself driving with knees before crash

Catherine was left paralysed from the neck down following the crash last year

A teenage motorist who filmed himself overtaking vehicles while driving with his knees has been sentenced for causing a crash which left a woman paralysed from the neck down.

George Taylor, 19, used his mobile phone "throughout his journey" to college when he crashed into a car on the A47 near Norwich, police said.

The victim, a mother aged in her 40s, was left unable to speak or breathe independently following the crash.

At Norwich Crown Court earlier, Taylor, from Pymoor, near Ely in Cambridgeshire, was sentenced to 26 months in a young offender institution, having previously admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

In a statement issued through Norfolk Police, the father of the victim said the past 22 months had been "traumatic".

"I'll never forget that day when we were told she had been in an accident, and then arriving at the hospital to be facing the reality that we may lose her," he said.

"As her dad, all I wanted to do was make everything better for her.

"While I can't change anything, I hope that by speaking out I can make others aware of what can happen on the roads.

"Catherine's life was changed in a split second…My focus now is to help Catherine and her son as much as I can to make their lives as comfortable as possible."

Catherine's father described her as "a gregarious person with a great sense of humour and so full of life"

Norwich Crown Court heard how on the morning of 18 January 2023, Taylor, who was 17 at the time, had used his mobile phone to make two calls, send one text and record five videos while driving.

The videos showed him travelling at speed and overtaking vehicles, with his knees on the steering wheel of his black Volkswagen Golf.

At about 11:00 GMT, he failed to see a Skoda Fabia waiting to turn right in front of him and he collided with the rear of the vehicle at East Tuddenham.

Catherine suffered a cardiac arrest and was given emergency first aid by an off-duty paramedic.

She was taken to hospital and now requires lifelong care.

Taylor passed his driving test fewer than 12 weeks before the collision.

Sgt Callum Walchester said: "George Taylor made multiple decisions to use his mobile phone that day and in doing so put himself and everyone else at significant risk. It was Catherine who has paid the price."

Taylor was also disqualified from driving for 40 months and was told he must take an extended driving test.