A HEROIN addict who killed his 80-year-old father after crashing into a parked van while four-and-a-half times over the drug-drive limit has been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court heard how 38-year-old Colin Ormerod ignored repeated warnings from his father Henry to slow down and was weaving in between lanes seconds before the fatal collision.

Judge Beverley Lunt said Ormerod’s case was aggravated by the fact he was driving without a licence, while uninsured and had taken the Renault Captur hire car without consent.

Jailing Ormerod to five years and eight months, Judge Lunt, said: “As is tragically so often the case you, the cause of this accident, walk away unhurt. But your father died two weeks later as a result of the severe injuries he suffered.

“You were found to have four times the legal limit of drugs in your system and were driving with no licence or insurance.

“The only mitigation is you pleaded guilty at an early stage and you will have to live with the knowledge that you killed your own father.”

The court heard that Omerod, of Sandhurst Street, Burnley, had applied for a provisional driving licence in 2009 but it was revoked by the DVLA when they learned of his chronic drug use.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker, said that meant he had no legal right to be behind the wheel of the Renault at 9.30pm on Saturday, April 1.

Earlier that night he had ‘badgered’ his father, who suffered many health problems and had a motability car he was driven around in, to get into the vehicle with him.

The court heard Ormerod, who had been taking heroin since his mother died in 1999, regularly took advantage of his father and pestered him for money to fuel his addiction.

Ormerod, who had lived with his father at his one-bedroom flat in Burnley for two and a half years, had demanded he accompanied him in the car while he drove to his sister, Paula’s house.

In his statement to the police following the crash Henry described his son’s driving as ‘terrible’, said he was speeding, slowing down and speeding up for no reason and weaving between lanes.

Mr Parker said the crash happened on the downhill section of Rossendale Road, Burnley, shortly after the speed limit changes from 40mph to 30mph.

The court was told Henry could see his son seemed to be unaware of the presence of a parked Mercedes van.

He only hit the brakes when his father shouted ‘stop’, which was 1.2 seconds before impact. Ormerod’s speed had only been reduced from 42mph to 38mph at the point of impact.

After hearing the crash, Nathan Jackson and Bill Cormack came running out of a nearby house. They saw smoke coming from the Renault and could not see if anyone was inside.

Mr Jackson helped Henry out of the passenger side of the car and as Mr Cormack went to rescue Colin, but as he did he ‘jumped out of the vehicle as if nothing was wrong’.

The witnesses described the defendant ‘looking like a druggie’ and ‘looking off his head’.

Ormerod was breathalysed but gave a zero reading. As officers were concerned about his demeanour and appearance he was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital and a blood sample was taken. That returned a reading of 228 microgrammes of cocaine per litre of blood, the court heard. The legal limit is 50.

Mr Ormerod was taken to Royal Preston Hospital but died two weeks later.

A coroner ruled he died from bronchial pneumonia which had been caused by chest trauma, including several fractured ribs.

Ormerod told police he had taken morphine, tranquiliser diazepam, heroin and crack cocaine earlier in the day and claimed his sister had given him permission to drive the vehicle. He said his father had asked him to drive him to Tesco and claimed a figure had ‘shot out in front of him’ and forced him to swerve.

In her victim personal statement read out by Mr Parker, Paula Ormerod, said: “My two children have lost their grandfather. Losing my dad has had a terrible effect on me. I feel cheated.”

Ormerod, who has 22 convictions for 49 offences, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving when unfit through drugs, causing death by careless driving without a licence and causing death by careless driving while uninsured.

The court heard Ormerod had committed 13 offences while out on bail following the fatal crash.

Defending, Philip Holden, said: “The defendant knows he’s going to go to prison for a considerable period of time.

“He feels a great deal of shame and a great deal of loss at the death of his father.

“He says he can’t deal with the loss of his father or what he has done. That is why he has gone back into his serious drug addiction.”

Judge Lunt said Henry had let his son live with him and had paid for that with his life. Ormerod was also banned from applying for a driving licence for six years.