Girl, seven, still in hospital five months after horror crash in Barnsley

The girl and the three other children in the car - an eight-year-old girl and two boys, aged 21 months and nine months - were struck over the head with a hammer before the car they were travelling in was deliberately driven into a pub at 90mph last August.

Man arrested after police raid in SheffieldOwen Scott, 29, who was driving the car, pleaded guilty to four charges of attempted murder and one charge of dangerous driving during a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court last month.

He is to be sentenced later this month.

Two men charged over match day incident on Bramall LaneScott, of Heather Road, Fawley, Hampshire, crashed his car - a grey Dacia Logan - into The Travellers Inn, on the A629 at Oxspring, between Sheffield and Huddersfield, but claims to have no memory of the incident.

An off-duty police officer, who was travelling behind Scott at the time, witnessed the crash, dialled 999 and cared for the injured children in the car until paramedics arrived.

Hoax caller hunted over report of gun in SheffieldDetective Chief Inspector Dave Stopford, who has 33 years' experience, said it was a difficult case to deal with.

"It was a difficult case for everyone involved - all the emergency service and the hospital staff who treated the children, who had very severe injuries," he said.

"They were all in a life threatening condition initially and one child is still in hospital and likely to remain there for a number of months to come.

"The other three are out now but it is too early to say yet what the long term prognosis will be for them. There could be a number of issues long term."

He said the children were lucky to have survived the high speed crash alone, yet also had to overcome head injuries inflicted with a hammer before the collision.

Owen's legal team claim he 'has little or no memory' of the incident and had been suffering from a 'short-lived psychosis' at the time.

DCI Stopford said he wanted to thank the police officers, other emergency services and medical staff involved in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

He said the off-duty police officer who was the first on the scene remained calm and professional despite the horror he was met with when he discovered the injured children.

"The way that all the emergency services, hospital and medical staff went out of their way to assist with the police investigation - working late into the night to provide the evidence needed - deserves recognition," he said.

"The efforts of the off-duty police officer and those who came out of the pub to help before paramedics arrived also need recognition.

"Despite this being a high speed collision, it was clear from a very early stage that because of the injuries we were dealing with something other than just a collision.

"The driver walked away virtually unscathed but with the speed of the collision I can only imagine that he thought he could have died."