A MAN who took a pregnant Darwen woman on a terrifying high-speed journey before hitting a group of pedestrians should have been jailed for longer, his mum said.

Christopher Marr took his estranged girlfriend Annabel Walker, of Sough Road, Darwen, on a terrifying journey at speeds of up to 90 mph.

It culminated in Marr's car ploughing into three teenagers in the street, leaving them badly injured.

Marr was sent to prison for 26 months last month with even the judge called on the Government to increase maximum sentences for dangerous driving.

Now Marr's own mum has spoken out to add her voice to claims he should have been jailed for longer.

Pauline Farnworth, 54, said she worried that Marr’s former girlfriend Annabel, known as Bella, would lose the baby as a result of the crash And she revealed she had been praying for victim Devon Foster, and had repeatedly warned her son that he would end up killing somebody with his drink-driving.

Mrs Farnworth backed calls to raise the maximum sentence for dangerous driving.

“I warned him and warned him and warned him about drinking and driving,” said Mrs Farnworth, of Tonge Moor, Bolton.

“I said you are going to finish up killing yourself or Bella or someone else that comes along.”

Mrs Farnworth said the news of the crash turned her world upside down.

She said: "When he got sentenced, I was in court behind his victims. I felt terrible. I didn’t want to upset anybody but I had to see Christopher.

"I can understand how they feel, because how would I feel if it had happened to one of my sons?”

But she added: “Love is unconditional when it’s your child.”

Devon Foster, 14, suffered horrific injuries and almost died after the car mounted the pavement in Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, and hit a group of teenagers walking home from a party in the early hours of August 22.

Also seriously injured were George Coleman, 16, and Jacob Fear, 15.

During a terrifying journey Marr drove at speeds of up to 90mph on the A666, driving on the wrong side of the road as he passed the Entwistle reservoir.

In Darwen Road he hit a lamppost, overturning the car and hitting the group of teenagers walking along the pavement.