The 27-year-old woman was left paralysed from the neck down after the Ford Fiesta she was travelling in was struck from behind by Gavin Coull’s BMW on the southbound lane of the A90 near Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

Moments before the impact, Coull, 32, of Fraserburgh, uploaded a dashcam video online which showed his car’s speedometer reaching 100 miles per hour.

He was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after a jury found him guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and of driving while unfit through drink or drugs.

Alison McKenzie, procurator fiscal for Aberdeen, said: “This young woman suffered catastrophic injuries as a direct consequence of Gavin Coull’s dangerous driving. In a split second, she was deprived of the normal and rich life she was entitled to expect.

“Yet she showed enormous bravery and courage in harrowing circumstances to give evidence to the court. Hopefully, she and her family will gain some comfort from the fact that justice has been served and that the accused will now spend time in prison as a result of his crimes.”

The court heard how Coull and a fellow passenger were travelling southbound on the dual carriageway late on the evening of March 11, 2021. Jurors were shown the dashcam footage Coull uploaded to Snapchat which was captioned “burning the midnight oil” and which highlighted the car’s excessive speed.

The collision caused the Fiesta to smash through crash barriers and tumble onto a grassy embankment off the A90.The court was told that the driver of the Fiesta also suffered serious injuries.

Following the crash, a blood sample showed evidence of drugs in Coull’s system.