A man who crashed an Audi into the side of a pub and left his seriously injured passenger inside the car as he fled the scene has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Blazej Sierputowski, 38, left the silver Audi TT embedded into the wall of the Old Bell pub in Town Lane, Wooburn, and ran away just before midnight on August 11 last year.

His passenger, who suffered serious leg injuries, was left in the vehicle.

The Old Bell and Town Lane was forced to stay shut because of "substantial" damage to the outside wall of the pub until structural engineers could attend, assess the damage and make it safe.

Sierputowski, of Rushburn in Wooburn Green, was hauled in front of Wycombe Magistrates' Court on May 18 charged with failing to stop after a road accident, driving without due care and attention and causing a vehicle to be left in a dangerous position.

He had pleaded guilty to all three charges at an earlier hearing.

He was jailed for 20 weeks, suspended for 18 months, for failing to stop after the crash and leaving his passenger seriously injured.

He was also ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

For driving without due care and attention, he was fined £553, while for the third charge of causing his vehicle to be left in a dangerous position, he received no separate penalty but his driving record was endorsed.

He was also made to pay £128 to fund victim services and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

New owners had only recently taken over the running of the popular village pub, which dates back to the 16th century, when the crash happened - forcing them to shut again.