A MOTHER whose car was hit by speeding Harry Carpenter-Jones near Blaisdon says she would have died if it had not been for a passing Royal Navy doctor who resuscitated her.

Uninsured Carpenter-Jones, 25, of Valley Road, Cinderford, lost control of his Ford Focus as he drove along the A4136 at more than 70mph on July 1, last year.

He crashed into Jillian Hodge’s Vauxhall Astra as she waited at the Blaisdon Road junction with her 17-year-old daughter in the passenger seat.

Prosecutor Janine Wood told Gloucester Crown Court that Mrs Hodge ’experienced substantial physical injury.’

In a victim impact statement Mrs Hodge said: "I would have died if it were not for a Royal Navy doctor coming across the crash and resuscitating me."

She was in hospital for two-and-a-half weeks with bleeding on the brain and facial fractures, she stated.

Carpenter-Jones admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving and having no insurance. His barrister Geoffrey Kelly told the court: "It is accepted that he had lost control. Thankfully no-one was killed, but there were serious injuries.

"He has pleaded guilty on the basis he was going too fast. He made an error of judgement as to the position of the other car. He panicked and lost control in trying to miss her."

Mr Kelly said the defendant had instructed him to say, ’I am truly sorry for the pain I have put her through."

Judge Ian Lawrie QC jailed Carpenter-Jones for a year and banned him from driving for three years.