Judge says no sentence will be long enough for family devastated by road rage crash

A driver who paralysed two sisters, aged six and eight, in a road rage crash was jailed for 4 and a half years as a judge told him his actions had changed the life of their family forever.

Andrew Nay, 39, crashed his powerful three litre Land Rover into the girls' family car as he made a right-hand turn across oncoming traffic on the A509 near Wellingborough, Northants.

Katrina Raiba, eight, and her sister Karlina, six, were left paralysed from the waist down.

The Judge said Nay had undertaken a "prolonged, persistent and deliberate course of very bad driving" and showed a "flagrant disregard for the rules of the road".

Their parents Roberts Raibais and Renate Raiba, originally from Latvia, suffered broken bones in the crash, which happened between 2.30 and 3pm on 3 October last year.

Northampton Crown Court heard that Nay, a Jaguar Land Rover manager and off-road driving instructor, was tailgating and "bullying" a woman driving a Mazda.

To get away from him, she safely turned right onto the B547 towards Little Harrowden.

Nay, who was seen laughing and smiling with his male passenger, 'undertook' a Mercedes and, in an attempt to follow the Mazda, made an "absolutely ridiculous" turn and hit the family's Vauxhall Signum that was travelling along the A509 in the opposite direction.

The court heard that both girls had to be flown to different hospitals for treatment. Both have lost movement below the waist and consultants expect their injuries will result in "reduced life expectancy". Katrina (8) also suffered a complex pelvic fracture. Karlina (6) had abdominal injuries which meant she had 5-6cm of her bowel removed.

Roberts Raiba, their father, is on daily painkillers for injuries including a fractured shoulder blade.

Renate had a plate fitted into her arm which was deformed by the accident.

In victim statement Roberts Raiba said the families lives had changed "200%". Immediately after the crash he and his wife were having hospital treatment and were unable to be at the side of their daughters who were in two other hospitals 50 miles apart. The girls were undergoing serious procedures on their own.

The family has been forced to move to a new home adapted for the children -who need medical intervention every three hours.

Both have returned to school and are "doing well" but it does mean on of the parents needs to be at school at all times to administer care.

The court was told this road rage incident was "completely out of character" and Nay was described by colleagues as mild-mannered, even-tempered, a good driver, the kind of boss that people wished for. He issued the following statement.

The judge was also asked to take into account fact that Nay's partner of 10 years - who was a passenger in the car on the day and who was in court today - does not have long to live. He has a cardiac condition and is expected to live for 5 years. "They are going to lose a significant portion of those five years together."

Nay had said he wasn't in a rush and that it was "a bad last second decision" to turn.

Judge Adrienne Lucking QC said after hearing from 5 eye-witnesses and Nay's account that she "rejected his account entirely" and that anyone who had seen the dashcam footage could be in no doubt that he was in pursuit of the car. "The consequences of this collision are tragic and led to catastrophic life-changing injuries."

You can watch Claire McGlasson's report below.

Nay will serve 4 years six months and be disqualified from driving for a further four years after release.