A DRUG driver who killed a pensioner in a head-on collision while high on drugs took to the roads again just months later and was twice caught with cocaine in his blood.

Stephen Horwood, of Greenhill, Blackbird Leys, Oxford wiped tears from his eyes yesterday as he was jailed for six years after causing the deadly smash shortly after 10am on September 7 last year.

Michael Smith, 71, died as a result of the crash and his wife Susan, who was a passenger in their red Peugeot 107, sustained serious injuries.

Oxford Crown Court heard at the sentencing hearing that 37-year old Horwood had fallen asleep at the wheel before his white Ford Transit van careered into the path of the oncoming Peugeot on the A415 near Ducklington, West Oxfordshire.

Prosecutor Jonathan Stone said that the father-of-three, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving, had more than three times the legal limit for cocaine, which is 10 microgrammes per litre of blood.

It was also revealed Horwood had taken to the road again in the months following the collision and was caught by police driving with Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in his system on two occasions at Grenoble Road, Oxford, on November 17 and 24.

For these offences, Horwood was jailed for 23 weeks on January 4.

Speaking after Horwood was jailed Mr Smith's son, Andrew, said Horwood's actions and apparent lack of remorse had left his family broken.

He said: "In the days following my father’s death I tried very hard to convince myself that Mr Horwood would surely be feeling terrible guilt and remorse regarding his actions and would never place himself or others at such risk again.

"That hope was eroded when I learned that Mr Horwood continued to drive under the influence after he killed my father.

"This was very upsetting to learn, as it removed the last hope I had that Mr Horwood might be feeling the shame and contrition that any decent but fallible person would."

He added: "My father was a good man who tried his very best. He was killed by a man who, it seems to me, falls well short in this regard.”

Ken Brough, a specialist serious injury lawyer from Slater and Gordon, which represents Mr Smith’s family, added: “Mr Smith was a much loved husband, father and friend whose passing has devastated many lives. What is so tragic is that his death was completely unnecessary and avoidable."

During the sentencing hearing yesterday prosecutor Jonathan Stone told the court that shortly after 10am on September 7 last year Horwood had been driving a Ford Transit van north towards Witney.

Travelling in the opposite direction were Mr and Mrs Smith, who lived together in Aston, who had been visiting Sainsbury’s in Witney that morning.

Mr Smith was driving the red Peugeot 107 when he spotted Horwood travelling towards them and appearing to ‘swerve’ into the middle of the road.

The pensioner turned onto a verge, actions which may well have saved the life of his wife.

However, Mr Smith was seriously hurt during the collision and died from multiple injuries while his wife suffered a number of serious injuries.

Eyewitnesses told police that Horwood appeared dazed and confused, repeatedly asking what had happened in the moments after the crash.

Later investigation found that he was three times over the limit for drugs, with 35mcg of cocaine per litre of blood found in his system.

In mitigation, Peter Du Feu said that his client, a self-employed carpet fitter, had been suffering from significant sleep deprivation at the time and had fallen into a serious drug addiction since last summer.

He said: "He had been sleep deprived for several days before this and he must have known when getting into that van that morning he was taking a significant risk of just what happened.

"Why was he driving? He was self employed and needed the money to keep the family going."

He also read out a letter from Horwood in which his client apologised to the family for his part in the tragedy.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Pringle QC said: "Mr Smith received multiple injuries from which he died, mercifully quickly. He was 71 years of age, he probably saved the life of his wife by turning into the verge as he did.

"Why did this accident occur? It occurred it seems because in the summer of 2017 you were introduced to cocaine and that it seems quickly became a habit."

Horwood was jailed for a total of six years, made up of six years for causing death by dangerous driving and four years of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, to run concurrently.

He was also disqualified from driving for a total of six years and must take an extended retest, as well as pay a victim surcharge.