A drink-driver who crashed in Wolvercote, leaving a passenger with such serious injuries that doctors gave her only a 10 per cent chance of survival, has been jailed for 20 months.

Guy Packer was twice the legal alcohol limit for drivers when police began to follow his car at the Wolvercote roundabout in Oxford.

As he tried to get away, he crashed the Vauxhall Astra into a wall at a speed of more than 40mph last August. Passenger Steph Peterson, 27, from High Wycombe, was left fighting for her life after the incident.

Packer, 22, of Southfield Road, Downley, near High Wycombe, was given the maximum sentence for dangerous driving at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday. He was also jailed for four months, to run concurrently, for driving with excess alcohol, and banned from driving for five years.

Mr Peterson's mother, Chris Peterson, said: "When my daughter was admitted to hospital she was given just a 10 per cent chance of survival. She had a broken neck, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and lacerated liver and spent two days in intensive care on a ventilator."

After her release from hospital, Miss Peterson was housebound for three months, with a metal frame fixed to her skull.

Her mother added: "We're so glad that this young man has been given the sentence he received. We can now try to put this whole dreadful episode behind us and start to get on with our lives.

"I hope that Steph can make a full recovery and get back to a normal life."

A 27-year-old front seat passenger, who did not want to be named, suffered whiplash, bruises and cuts and is still receiving treatment for his injuries.

He said: "The crash was terrifying and it's something that will stay with me forever. I'm pleased that the judge realised how serious a crime this was and that Packer is being punished."

Traffic policeman Sgt Jim Shriane, based at Abingdon, said: "Packer showed scant regard for the law or for the safety of himself, his passengers or other road users.

"This sentence reflects that such dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated and will carry a substantial penalty to those found guilty."