A MOTORIST seriously hurt a woman when he smashed into her car as he overtook at speed in fog at a spot where he had caused another head-on smash years earlier.

A judge told Thomas Todd he was driving like an utter maniac when he lost control of his Honda Civic as he passed a line of traffic in a pea souper.

And he said it beggared belief that the smash took place at almost exactly the same spot as the incident that led to him being convicted of dangerous driving in 2009.

As a result of his latest horror smash, which was caught on another driver’s dash-cam, a mother of three was hospitalised for two months after suffering a stroke.

Now the 34-year-old, who also has previous for drink-driving, has been jailed for three years and banned from the road for another six after his release.

Tim Hills, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the incident happened on the A361 near the Salthrop turning in the dark at about 7pm on Friday, December 16.

He said Richard Hill, director of a Cirencester air conditioning company, and his wife Judi had set off from their home near Calne for the work Christmas party.

As they took the road through Avebury he said they considered turning back because of the fog, but decided to press on.

Coming the other way three cars were travelling out of Wroughton at about 40mph, with big gaps between them because of the poor visibility.

All three motorists later told the police they were amazed when Todd’s Honda overtook at what they thought was between 60mph and 80mph.

As he passed the front of the trio he narrowly avoided a head-on smash with a bus coming the other way, which caused him to lose control.

After mounting the verge to the left his car careered sideways across the carriageway hitting the Hills’ Mazda 3, sending both vehicles into a field.

As well as the stroke, which left her paralysed on the left side for a while, Mrs Hill had four broken bones in her neck, as well as ones in her heel and sternum.

Meanwhile, her husband, who had to quit his job to care for her, suffered a broken wrist and post traumatic stress disorder.

The court was told while Mrs Hill was still suffering ten months on she had been told she ought to make a full recovery.

Todd, of Beckhampton Road, Beckhampton, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Alistair Hegarty, defending, said that his client was driving home from work in Swindon on a road he uses daily.

He said that he Todd was full of remorse for what he had done. and had to live with the guilt of what he had done to the victims.

Jailing him Judge Robert Pawson said: “No explanation has been given how you drove like this: You drove like an utter maniac.

“It is a matter of luck not judgement that you didn’t kill someone that day.

“You have dangerous driving from 2009 which I am told, and I didn’t know until I came to court this afternoon and it beggars belief that it was for identical behaviour on the same piece of road.”