A FIRST class student who had never driven in the UK got behind the wheel drunk and crashed into three cars, seriously injuring a family.

Ittrachen Baby left a trail of destruction in his wake while being twice over the drink drive limit after agreeing to drive a company car belonging to a colleague, a court heard.

The 25-year-old Indian, who worked as a carer while he studied, has been jailed for two years and will probably be deported back to India on release from prison.

Baby drove the Renault Megane into the back of one car at the Selmeston junction on the A27 on September 6 after agreeing to take the wheel for his drunk colleague, Hove Crown Court was told.

He overtook and carried on to the main road near Polegate, clipping the wing mirror of another vehicle before swerving to the opposite side of the road.

He crashed head-on with a Toyota, causing it to spin 180 degrees, seriously injuring the female driver and her two young children and niece.

The Renault spun out of control, left the road and exploded in flames, the court heard.

Baby and his colleague managed to escape the burning car and collapsed in a field.

The occupants of the Toyota were trapped inside their car for 90 minutes.

The mother, Manpreet Khurana, spent two weeks in hospital with numerous fractures including a broken collar bone, ribs and ankle. She had to wear a surgical collar for three months and is still experiencing pain in her legs and feet, prosecutor Jonathan Atkinson told the court.

One child needed stitches, another had a broken thumb.

Her niece spent 11 days in hospital with various fractures and is still awaiting an operation.

Baby, of High Street, Hailsham, admitted causing serious injury to others, drink-driving, as well as driving without insurance or licence.

Susan Bryant, defending, described Baby as an exemplary student with a first class degree in business studies.

She said he came to the UK from India in 2013, immediately enrolling in school and finding work to support his family back in India.

He took up a masters at the London campus of the University of the West of Scotland London in the month of the crash which he will now have to forfeit because of his jail term.

She said: “He feels very upset, ashamed, depressed, disgusted.”

Ms Bryant told the court Baby went with a colleague in the company car to carry out some errands in Haywards Heath and was invited to stay for a drink with a friend.

She said: "They had both been drinking when it came time to leave. His friend - or colleague - said he was ok to drive. He [Baby] had never driven while he lived in the UK but he had driven in India.

"He did not have a licence or a company car. He says his colleague had a melt down and couldn't drive and got quite upset and demanded he drive. Of course he shouldn't have done so. Within moments the first encounter takes place. He said his passenger fell asleep and he [Baby] passed out in the bushes."

Judge Charles Kemp branded it an “appalling” incident, adding: “You’re an intelligent young man. Quite what possessed you to agree to drive the car, I simply don’t know.”

He described the list of injuries sustained by his victims as an "appalling chronicle".

He said: "You're going to have to live with you're own conscience. The only positive that can be said about this is that at least you didn't kill anybody."

Judge Kemp warned he may be deported once he is released which was a "terrible, terrible shame" because he had a "bright future" ahead of him and "only himself to blame".

The sentence includes a four month concurrent sentence for driving while under the influence of alcohol and he will be disqualified from driving for four years and can only get behind the wheel again after an extended driving test.