A father-of-three in emotional turmoil after a relationship broke up seriously injured another motorist after overtaking on the brow of a hill, a court heard.

Rodney Weston, 61, suffered a punctured kidney, fractured sternum, severe whiplash and multiple bruising when his van was hit head on by Robert Belsten’s car.

Bradford Crown Court was told yesterday that 35-year-old Belsten had described the road as “like a rollercoaster”. But he tried to overtake two cars on a bend and struck Mr Weston’s Volkswagen Caddy.

Prosecutor Emma Downing said Mr Weston, a self-employed painter and decorator, was detained in hospital for five days and was still having physiotherapy seven months after he was injured.

He was off work for 12 weeks, when he would have earned at least £4,000 and, though he was expected to make a full recovery, he has to take breaks because of neck pain.

Belsten, who pleaded guilty to the new charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, wept as he was jailed for eight months.

Judge Robert Bartfield told him: “Anybody who looked at this would have said immediately this was going to end in disaster.

“It’s a great mercy that one or more people were not killed.

“I don’t doubt this will live with Mr Weston for the rest of his days, but it’s fortunate his injuries have not been substantially more disabling than they are.

“Everybody has to understand that if they drive like this, and cause serious injury, there has to be an immediate prison sentence.”

The incident happened in the early evening of January 5 as Belsten drove his Renault Megane along Otley Road towards East Morton, near Keighley.

The court heard he was not speeding but he only had a provisional driving licence and obtained insurance by claiming to have a full licence.

Miss Downing said Mr Weston’s vehicle was written off.

She said other drivers described Belsten, who was treated for whiplash and bruising, attempting to overtake on the wrong side of the road approaching the brow of a hill.

He told police that as he overtook he had “daydreamed” for five to ten seconds.

Barrister David McGonigal, representing Belsten, of Grove Road, Heckmondwike, said his client, who was genuinely remorseful, had been “in great emotional turmoil and confusion” when he set off on the journey.

Mr McGonigal said that shortly before the offence, the defendant’s partner, with whom he had lived for many years and had three children, had told him she was involved in other intimate relationships. He had been sent an explicit DVD by one of the men.

Mr McGonigal said that lay behind the dangerous driving. Belsten was now a broken man.

Belsten was also disqualified from driving for two years.