The family of Michael Robb, a 27-year-old accountant who was left with a significant brain injury after he was deliberately hit by a car, said they were “disappointed” by the sentence handed to the driver.

Nathan Rutter, then 19, was "blind with rage", having been knocked to the ground in a row with the men from Aberdeen outside a kebab shop, a court heard this week.

He drove his black Astra, with loud music playing, up the wrong side of Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth, before mounting the pavement for 32 metres at what the prosecution said was between 30 and 40 miles per hour.

Two of Mr Robb’s friends avoided the vehicle, while one was caught by a glancing blow.

Mr Robb was hit by the vehicle and thrown into the air, hitting his head on the bonnet and windscreen of the car following the incident on May 4.

Rutter, now 20, of Maple Cross, was found guilty of dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was imprisoned for three years and given a 10-year driving ban at St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday.

The family of Mr Robb, from the Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, described the sentence as “lenient” but declined to comment further.

Philippa Luscombe, head of the personal injury team of Penningtons Manches LLP, is representing Mr Robb in relation to a civil claim against the insurers of Mr Rutter.

She said: “This was a very shocking incident where an individual deliberately drove up onto the pavement and hit our client. 

“The injuries that he sustained were severe but it was extremely lucky that they were not worse and that he has made such a good recovery to date. 

“While it is some consolation to Mr Robb and his family that the defendant pleaded guilty to some of the charges put to him, this is another example of the sadly limited sentencing powers of the court for serious driving offences.”

After the collision, the court was told Mr Rutter drove back on to the road and returned home, leaving Mr Robb unconscious on the roadside.

He was taken to St Mary's Hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on the brain.

He remained there for a week before being transferred to his local hospital, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Since then he has been undergoing therapy and rehabilitation and has only recently been discharged home.

Although rehabilitative therapy has led to significant improvements in Mr Robb’s condition, he has lost 70 percent of his hearing in his right ear and suffers from permanent tinnitus.

He also continues to suffer from memory problems and other residual effects of the head injury.