A DRIVER who left his passengers seriously injured after smashing into a tree has been jailed.

Jamie Chatwin, aged 21, was seen speeding by officers on Clent Road in Oldbury in the early hours of December 23 last year.

They tried to stop Chawin's Vauxhall Corsa but he carried on, driving erratically and weaving in and out of lanes at high speed.

Minutes after police abandoned their pursuit due to the risk to other road users, Chatwin, from Oldacre Road, Oldbury, crashed into a tree and then into a central reservation. Two female passengers suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.

At Birmingham Crown Court Chatwin was sentenced to 26 months in jail and disqualified from driving for four years and one month for dangerous driving, causing serious injury and driving without a licence and insurance.

Sergeant Adrian Brown, from the West Midlands Police Traffic Unit, said: "Chatwin was showing off and driving dangerously, and in doing so has seriously injured his friends causing broken ribs, a broken sternum and a punctured lung.

"This is a significant sentence and it should send a strong message to those drivers who choose to drive in a manner that puts others at risk. In this particular case families are and will suffer the consequences of Chatwin’s actions for many years to come."