A Flintshire man has been jailed for three years after being convicted of causing serious injury to a 17-year-old girl passenger by dangerous driving when he picked her up from an Anglesey music festival.

Lee Thomas, 40, of Leighton Court, Connah’s Quay, was also found guilty by a Caernarfon crown court jury of driving when banned following a car crash at Trearddur Bay, in June last year.

Prosecuting counsel Simon Rogers said the teen was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd at Bangor where an X-ray missed a skull fracture. But after she suffered headaches a CT scan showed the fracture and the girl was transferred to Stoke on Trent for treatment.

Mr Rogers said the crash had a “profound effect.”

Her concerns about Thomas’s driving had been ignored during the journey. The prosecution alleged he was under the influence of alcohol.

Counsel said the defendant had three drink-driving convictions.

Judge Huw Rees said the maximum jail term for causing serious injury was five years. “Many judges disagree with that,” he remarked.

He ordered Thomas to take an extended test following a 51 months ban.

The judge said Thomas had a “truly appalling record for driving offences, driving while disqualified in particular, and driving with excess alcohol.”

The victim had been to the Gottwood festival.

Judge Rees said: ”An accident of this kind on anybody, especially for somebody so young, could have devastating effects. She has suffered as a result of the injuries, not only the physical effect of the left side of her face dropping slightly, but emotionally, and she was made out to be a liar.”

Thomas had denied driving that night. But the judge said the jury were not fooled by his lying. There were other occupants of the car, too, and he’d ignored warnings to slow.

Robin Boag, defending, urged the judge to have regard to the maximum sentence.