A man has been jailed after falling asleep at the wheel and seriously injuring another driver.

A court heard how Gabriel Ferreira had been driving home from a night out in Norwich when he drove head-on into a white Vauxhall Corsa.

The female driver of the Vauxhall Corsa suffered serious leg and back injuries.

Ferreira, 20 and from Lancaster Avenue, Watton, appeared at Norwich Crown Court for sentencing having pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.

Read more: Search for witnesses after hit-and-run

The incident happened at about 4.20am on February 11.

When officers arrived, Ferreira said that an unknown man had been driving him home, crashed and then fled the scene.

The victim, a woman in her 40s, was safely removed by fire and ambulance and was then transported to hospital. She suffered two broken legs and a fractured back.

During his first interview, Ferreira stated he had met a man called Chris who offered to drive him home and had fallen asleep until he was awoken by the collision.

He responded with "no comment" to every question during his second interview. 

In his third interview, Ferreira made a full admission to being the driver at the time and falling asleep at the wheel, and that the man named Chris did not exist.

During the interview, he admitted that he had experienced previous issues with sleep that his doctor was aware of, failing to inform the DVLA of these health issues.

He also admitted to driving without insurance.

Ferreira was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

He was jailed for one year with a disqualification from driving for two and a half years and told he must take an extended driving test before he can drive again.