A drug driver who seriously injured his son after crashing into a river has been sentenced.

Bruno Pereira was driving his then nine-year-old son when he lost control of the van on Whittlesey Road, Benwick close to the junction with Chase Road on February 8, 2020.

The van hit an embankment before flipping onto its roof and landing in the River Nene.

Pereira managed to free himself from the van, but his son remained trapped under water.

The boy, who was eventually released from the vehicle, was given CPR and taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he remained for 10 days after the crash and has now fully recovered.

Pereira, who tested positive for cannabis and cocaine following a drugs test, admitted he used cannabis the night before the crash.

He was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over a specified drug limit.

A blood test also found the level of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, inside Pereira’s body which police said was “off the scale”.

On August 31 at Cambridge Crown Court, Pereira, of Ratcliffe Court, Peterborough, was sentenced to 21 months suspended for two years after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drug driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for 30 months and ordered to re-take his test.

PC Peter Smith, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a shocking incident that could have killed both Pereira and his son.

“Hopefully this has been a massive wake-up call to him.

“It also once again highlights the dangers of drug driving.”

More than 460 suspected drink or drug drivers have been arrested in Cambridgeshire so far this year as police warn motorists of the risks of driving under the influence.

You can report a drink driver on Cambridgeshire Police’s confidential hotline: 0800 032 0845.

If someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.