An "utterly callous" driver abandoned his seriously injured friend in a bid to avoid prosecution after crashing a car near Brynaman, a court heard this afternoon.

Nicholas Spowart was in danger of dying--but driver Nathan Anderson ran away without even telephoning for help.

Today, Anderson, aged 23, of New Road, Ystradowen, was jailed for three years and eight months after a jury at Swansea Crown Court found him guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Anderson had already admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis, stopping after an accident or reporting an accident.

Judge Paul Thomas said the background was that Anderson was already banned for driving with cocaine in his system and was on bail when, on April 8 last year and at 2.30am he decided to take his friend "for a spin" in his girlfriend's sports car.

On Gwilym Road, between Brynaman and Cwmllynfell, and "because of the speed involved" the car left the road.

It travelled 27 metres off the road before hitting a bank and a tree and then flew 11m through the air and returning to the carriageway.

Afterwards, said Judge Thomas, Anderson displayed "disgraceful and utter callousness" the likes of which he had never experienced.

Mr Spowart was badly injured but Anderson was so anxious to avoid arrest that he made off.

"You did not even check his pulse or whether he was breathing. He could have died and you left him to his fate."

Judge Thomas said he was in no doubt Anderson wanted the cocaine he had taken to leave his body before the police found him.

Anderson telephoned his mother and told her Mr Spowart was dead--and then telephoned Mr Spowart's girlfriend to say he was perfectly all right, neither of which was true.

By chance a police car passed the scene and Mr Spowart was taken to hospital.

When police tracked down Anderson he held out a knife and threatened to stab himself.

Judge Thomas said at first Anderson would not explain what had happened.

But on learning that Mr Spowart had been so badly injured that he could not remember the accident Anderson came up with a false story in which he claimed Mr Spowart had caused the crash by grabbing at the steering wheel.

It was, said the judge, a "wickedly false" lie.

Judge Thomas said Anderson went on to post Facebook messages in which he said he wished Mr Spowart had died in the crash.

He described Anderson as a "complete menace on the road."

Anderson was banned from driving for five years after the day of his release from prison.