A car washer smashed a rugby star’s Bentley into a shopper leaving him with horrific injuries – including an ear which needed stitching back on.
Paul Bordache, who died not have a driving licence, was branded "highly reckless" by a judge after he crashed into Michael Collins, 66.
The accident on December 22 left the victim with eight broken ribs, a fractured skull and vertebrae, an ear which needed stitching back on, and an urgent blood transfusion to keep him alive.
Bordache, 39, was moving the £60,000 Bentley – which belonged to former St Helens rugby league star Ian Pickavance – into place at a Tesco store in St Helens, the Liverpool Echo reports.
He hit the accelerator instead of the brake, sending it careering forward.
Six cars were also damaged.
Mr Pickavance had left his Bentley with the Waves car wash staff while he did some shopping.
Bordache, 39, did not have a driving licence for the UK or in his native Romania, Judge Conrad QC told Liverpool Crown Court, and so had no permission to move vehicles at the car wash.
Judge Alan Conrad QC told him: "On a busy, crowded car park, you were working on a Bentley in the course of your employment as a car valeter.
"You took it upon yourself to move the car forward – I’ve seen CCTV of the incident… you should not have been driving you had no licence.
"You drove it forward with the driver’s door open, initially slowly, but suddenly gathering very considerable speed, over a short distance.
"It crashed into the parked car of Mr Collins, into which he was leaning at the time, and shunted his car and him a considerable distance forward, such was the power and weight of the Bentley you were driving.
"The effect of what you did was to cause devastating and life-changing injuries to Mr Collins and a further six vehicles damaged.
"Mr Collins suffered serious injuries which are set out in the medical report and in his victim impact statement.
"He was in hospital for nine days, with eight hours of surgery, suffered serious life hanging injuries, a damaged spleen, numerous fractures including to his vertebrae, skull and eight broken ribs.
"It has resulted in the insertion of 39 screws and a number of plates….
"There was injuries to his liver and he had to have his spleen removed.
"He says he was very close to death and had to have two further operations afterwards, and has to be monitored by specialists and also had psychological treatment.
"The quality of his life has been dramatically affected.
"It was highly reckless of you to drive off in this way, with the door open, and to allow the car to gain speed in those surroundings.
"The circumstances are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."
Bordache, who was close to tears while an interpreter translated the proceedings to him, was described by his barrister as a "hard worker who pays his taxes."
He was full of remorse, the court was told, and he had written a letter of apology, which he hoped Mr Collins would read.
Bordache was jailed for 20 months after today entering three guilty pleas to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and driving without a valid UK licence and insurance policy.
He was told he would serve half that sentence and serve the rest of the term out of jail, on licence.
The car washer, who has no previous convictions either in the UK or Romania, wept as the catalogue of injuries were read out in court.
Along with the Bentley, six other cars were damaged or written off, including a Nissan with £7,000 of damage, a Citroen, a Vauxhall, with £1,200 of damage, a Suzuki, with £3,000 of damage, and a Transit van.
Bordache was disqualified from driving for two years and ten months, and he must pass an extended re-test to get behind the wheel again.
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