A learner driver ran down an eight-year-old girl before causing another car to crash into a neighbour's living room, a court has heard.
Gordon Norwood, 22, who admitted a dangerous driving charge, drove his car without a qualified driver beside him.
He lost control and hit a child walking on the pavement then careered into a nearby driveway, shunting a parked car so hard that it crashed into a house.
A sheriff called the incident "ghastly" and said a jail term was likely.
The incident happened on 3 September, 2004, after Norwood got into his M-reg Rover at his house in Drumchapel, Glasgow, to get nappies for his child.
He held only a provisional licence at the time and should have had a qualified driver to accompany him. Instead, he only had his 17-year-old brother John, who could not drive.
Brake defect claim
Norwood took a sharp bend just yards from his home at "excessive speed" and lost control of his vehicle, which mounted the kerb.
Tom Bowman, prosecuting, told Glasgow Sheriff Court: "The car struck the girl and she was flung onto the bonnet of the car.
"The vehicle continued onto a grass area and she was then thrown from the bonnet causing her to land partly on the pavement and on the carriageway."
Mr Bowman added: "His vehicle continued on the opposite side of the carriageway and collided with gates at a house and then into the rear of a car.
"This car was in the driveway and Norwood shunted it causing it to crash into the living room where the owner was watching TV."
"This is a ghastly offence and, to protect the public, uppermost in my mind is a custodial sentence"
The householder escaped unhurt, but the youngster lay semi-conscious before being taken to hospital.
Norwood admitted he had been driving illegally when questioned by police officers.
He claimed there had been a defect with the brakes, but no problems were found when the vehicle was tested.
It was initially thought the young girl had suffered no significant injuries. However, after complaining of blinding headaches, scans revealed bleeding on the brain.
The court heard she is still badly troubled by the accident, which has impacted on her schooling and behaviour.
'Absolutely horrified'
Mr Bowman said the girl's parents found her now to be "clingy, anxious and aggressive" and she was unable to sleep on her own.
He added it was feared these symptoms could affect her for the rest of her life.
Angela Mullane, defending, said Norwood was "absolutely horrified" at what he had caused.
Sheriff Deirdre MacNeill QC remanded the father-of-two in custody until sentencing next month.
The sheriff told him: "This little girl's life has been totally devastated. This is a ghastly offence and, to protect the public, uppermost in my mind is a custodial sentence."
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