A man has been jailed for eight years after he used his pick-up truck in a revenge attack.

Matthew Green was left with horrific injuries when the truck was used to attack him and his friend, Robert Carter, in a road in Mayland, near Maldon.

At one point, doctors thought Mr Green would be paralysed for life.

His spine was twisted and two vertebrae in his neck were broken after he was carried for some distance on the bonnet of the truck.

But Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Mr Green had made a remarkable recovery.

The man who deliberately drove at them, Bradley Evans, was jailed for eight years when he appeared in court for sentence. He was banned from driving for six years.

Judge Benjamin Pearson told Evans, 22, of West Avenue, Mayland: "In a rage and having your pride dented by Mr Green, you sought to avenge the blow to your pride by going home, getting into your truck and using it as a weapon."

He added: "Mr Green will probably bear the scars of your criminal activity for the rest of your life."

Evans had denied charges of causing Mr Green grievous bodily harm with intent, actual bodily harm on Mr Carter and dangerous driving but was convicted on all charges after a trial.

The trial heard how Mr Green and Mr Carter got involved in a row with Evans outside Hoppers bar in Mayland on July 14.

The incident ended and they were walking home when Evans appeared on the scene in his truck.

As the pair walked along Imperial Avenue, Evans came up behind them in the vehicle, mounted the pavement and drove into them.

Mr Carter was clipped a glancing blow but Mr Green was carried on the bonnet of the vehicle before being thrown off into the road.

Evans claimed he was attacked by his victims before he went home and got his pick-up truck.

He said he was going to drive to a friend's home but when he saw his victims in Imperial Avenue, one of them jumped into the road in front of him.

He claimed he panicked and drove through the gap between the men. David Ross, mitigating, said: "It was a moment of madness. This young man's actions were completely and utterly out of character."

Judge Pearson said: "It is a great pity you have not shown the courage to admit these offences. They were the offences of a coward."

"You deliberately used your vehicle as a weapon," the incident had caused enough worry that there had been a meeting attended by about 300 people in the village.

Concern was expressed that someone in their community acted in this way, the judge said.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.