A MAN who caused a horror crash by deliberately ploughing head-on into another car – badly injuring its driver – has been jailed for seven years.

Kevin Hibbert had drunk 11 pints of beer during the day and said he was going to kill himself, Worcester Crown Court was told.

He set off in his Ford Mondeo on the A38 in Droitwich and deliberately drove head-on into a BMW being driven by Kevin Johns.

The court heard that Hibbert felt in his mind he was "driving towards his death" when he got behind the wheel on September 16, 2015.

The crash trapped Mr Johns' legs in the engine bay and he had to be freed by emergency services. He suffered life-changing injuries and attended court in a wheelchair.

Dash-cam footage from Mr Johns' car, showing Hibbert crossing to the wrong side of the road as he sped towards him, was so shocking it brought "gasps" from the jury, the judge said.

Hibbert, a 42-year-old father of three of Stalls Farm Road, Droitwich, was convicted by a jury at Hereford Crown Court in December of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

At his sentencing hearing in Worcester on Tuesday, Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said Hibbert had been under stress and had been talking to others in the Copcut Elm pub in Droitwich on that day about taking his life.

He exchanged a series of text messages with his partner about their domestic arrangements and left the pub at lunchtime after drinking seven pints.

He went back home to kiss his partner and three children, then went back to the pub and had four more pints before getting into his car at about 5pm.

He drove along the A38 Roman Way and a smaller vehicle overtook him, clipping the side of his car and crashing – although this part of the incident was not Hibbert's fault, the court heard.

He then drove on and footage from the dashboard camera in Mr Johns' car showed him then deliberately crossing to the other side of the road as it turned into a dual carriageway.

Hibbert fled the scene of the crash and was arrested later.

Five hours after the crash, he was still twice the legal drink-drive limit.

The court heard Hibbert had eight previous convictions and had been banned from driving before on two occasions.

Charles Hamer, defending, said Hibbert had been suffering from a mental health disorder at the time and in his mind "was driving towards his own death."

He had written to the court expressing remorse and saying that if there was anything he could do to change what happened, he would.

Judge Nicholas Cole said the dashcam footage brought gasps from members of the jury when it was played at the trial.

Hibbert, he said, had been in an angry state and had decided to harm himself by deliberately driving into oncoming traffic and Mr Johns had suffered.

"It could have been anybody driving along the A38 that day," he told Hibbert. "No sentence that any court can pass can restore him to the position he was in before.

"You must bear responsibility for these injuries. They resulted from your decision to try and escape your problems in a manner that was bound to cause injury to other road users."

Hibbert was also banned from driving for eight-and-a-half years.

*THIS HAS RUINED MY LIFE – VICTIM SLAMS 'UNFAIR' SENTENCE

THE innocent victim of the horror crash caused when Kevin Hibbert deliberately ploughed into a car coming the other way has slammed his sentence – saying "it doesn't seem fair".

Kevin Johns, a 38-year-old father, says since the crash it feels like "a bomb has gone off" and ruined his life.

Mr Johns had been driving home from work to his wife and children in Birmingham when the crash happened.

His injuries were so severe that part of his cranium was detached and had to be held in place before emergency services arrived, the court was told.

Mr Johns also suffered two broken legs and still needs medical treatment. He attended Hibbert's sentencing hearing in a wheelchair.

Speaking after Hibbert was sentenced to seven years in jail, he said: "He will be out in thee-and-a-half years and his life will go back to normal. I am left like this."

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Johns said he felt "broken" and just wanted his old life back.

"It feels like a bomb has gone off and ruined my perfect life," the statement said.