A MAN has been jailed for 11 years after he caused a head-on crash which killed a Weymouth dad who was heading home from his son’s graduation.

David Grant-Jones and his wife Heather, from Weymouth, were travelling back from Portsmouth University on July 14 last year when their Land Rover Freelander was hit head-on by Adrian Wojciechowski’s BMW on the A35 Puddletown Bypass.

The crash happened at the point where the dual carriageway narrows to become a single lane near the Bere Regis roundabout.

Mr Grant-Jones died of his injuries at the scene and Mrs Grant-Jones suffered life-changing injuries.

Wojciechowski's two passengers, Lukasz Mleczek and Pawel Arnista, were also seriously injured.

A blood sample from Wojciechowski revealed the presence of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – a primary active component of cannabis – at a level of three microgrammes per litre of blood. The legal limit is two microgrammes per litre of blood.

Following a week-long trial, from which he was absent, Wojciechowski, aged 29, of Surrey, was found guilty of one charge of death by dangerous driving and three charges of serious injury by dangerous driving.

He has been jailed in his absence for 11 years for causing death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for four years each for the three charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, to run concurrently.

Wojciechowski left the UK before the trial began and is believed to be in Poland.

Jurors reached the unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for one hour and 20 minutes.

Jurors had been warned earlier today not to let their emotions cloud their judgement when considering their verdicts as they retired this morning.

Judge Stephen Climie finished his summing up at Bournemouth Crown Court this morning.

In a statement this afternoon, Sergeant Fern Graham, of the traffic unit, said: “The reckless driving of Adrian Wojciechowski on Saturday, July 14 2018 has resulted in fatal consequences with a devastating impact on the family of Mr Grant-Jones.

“Nothing will make up for the loss of their loved one and I can only hope that the conviction at court today will in some way help them to move forward.

“This case is another sad reminder that any time a driver gets behind the wheel of a car they are in control of a potentially lethal machine and there can be horrible consequences if they are not driving with appropriate care and respect for other road users.

“We will continue to make enquiries to locate Wojciechowski so he can be apprehended and face justice for his actions.”