A banned driver who drove at 90mph to shake off police and crashed injuring his two terrified passengers has been jailed.

Zabair Akram fled from the scene leaving his two friends in the wreckage.

One of the teenage victims, who had been knocked unconscious, suffered a spinal fracture and she has been left wearing a back brace for at least three more months.

A court heard that 24-year-old Akram had crashed into a car in Wallasey Village, injuring the couple in the front but fortunately the nine-month-old baby in the rear was uninjured.

Jailing Akram for 16 months, Judge Adrian Lyon said: "This was appalling, aggressive driving which caused injury to other people of a substantial nature.

"He is extremely lucky that he did not kill anyone," he added.

Liverpool Crown Court was told that he has two previous convictions for dangerous driving and the judge banned him from driving for five years.

Akram, of Bolton Road, Pendlebury, Manchester, had pleaded guilty to driving dangerously, driving while disqualified, failing to stop after an accident and driving without insurance.

Kim Egerton, prosecuting, said a police officer wanted to speak to Akram about his driving after seeing him at the wheel in Maddock Road, Wallasey, about 6.30pm on April 25.

But Akram sped off and ignored signals to stop and the officer had to call for an advanced police driver to join the pursuit.

During this Akram overtook vehicles on the wrong side of the road on Seabank Road and reached 90mph.

He went the wrong way round a roundabout, went through a red traffic light and overtook more cars on the wrong side of the road before eventually crashing into a Vauxhall Astra on Wallasey Village Road.

The car came to a halt sideways across the road and Akram ran off. A woman in the other car suffered a fractured ankle and her companion suffered bruising.

The officer chased Akram who fled through gardens and eventually after a struggle he was detained and handcuffed.

Miss Egerton said Akram's passengers, 19-year-old Deana Lewtas and Lauren Chapman, 18, were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital.

Miss Chapman had suffered bruising and Miss Lewtas was found to have a "closed fractured spine" but was discharged.

However, when a police officer visited her later at home in Salford he could see she was very unwell and she was taken to Salford Royal Hospital where she was detained for two weeks.

She was suffering from concussion, had two fractures to her spine, nerve damage and has to wear a back brace for walking for the next three months.

When interviewed, Akram denied he had been driving and said he ran off because he was shocked.

He agreed that those in the car had been screaming for it to stop.

Gerald Pachter, defending, said that Akram, who has been disqualified from driving since 2005, conceded his driving had been "absolutely appalling."

He had driven the two women from Salford to Wirral and had panicked and fled after the crash. He lives with his family, who are supporting him, and after his release he plans to help with their off licence business.

After the hearing, Lauren and Deana said they had been shocked that the maximum sentence for dangerous driving is only two years and thought he would have received a more severe sentence.

"We had travelled over to see my family in New Brighton," explained Deana.

"He was a good mate but we didn't know he was disqualified and we couldn't believe he just left us.

"I don't hate him but I don't want to talk to him. It was all a blur at the time and was a horrendous experience."