Man who drove car into men is jailed

A 41-year-old man who ploughed his car into a group of men as they walked home from a Shropshire pub was today jailed for five years.

Roy Dietrich was jailed for three years for inflicting grievous bodily harm to Lee Pearsall when he drove into him and three friends on the B4375 Broseley High Street on May 23 last year. He was also given two years, to run concurrently, for dangerous driving and was disqualified from driving for four years.

In January Dietrich was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving but was cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The former Telford man, who now lives in Nottingham, admitted driving with excess alcohol and failing to stop after an accident.

The trial heard Dietrich's car collided with Mr Pear-sall, Steven Perks, Simon Jordan and Jamie Wilmore as they walked home from a pub where they had earlier had an argument with the defendant.

Mr Pearsall suffered serious head and arm injuries. The other three men also suffered injuries.

Mr Paul Smith, for Dietrich, said: "Mr Dietrich struggles with the fact that he caused injuries of this level to another person."