A FATHER who fell asleep at the wheel after staying awake for more than 14 hours has been jailed for killing a pensioner.

Sleep-deprived Christopher Trusler admitted driving his lorry on the wrong side of the road and causing the fatal collision when he fell asleep for eight seconds.

He killed 71-year-old David Wakefield, who was driving in his car alone on the A420, near Abingdon, on July 28 last year.

Sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Ian Pringle handed him a two-year jail term and said: "It's difficult to think of something more dangerous than a driver who is falling asleep while at the wheel.

"You drove when clearly you should never have been in a vehicle at all. One's heart can only go out to Mr Wakefield's family and nothing I can do is going to lessen the pain that they feel."

Prosecutor Barry McElduff told the court Trusler had been working an 11-hour nightshift on July 27 before returning home at about 7am the next day.

He said the 26-year-old decided to work overtime after receiving a call from his employer about half-an-hour later, and drove about one-and-a-half hours to replace traffic lights in Faringdon.

Mr McElduff said Trusler fell asleep for just eight seconds while driving, during which time his lorry made its way onto the opposite carriageway, clipping the wing mirror of another vehicle.

He said two other vehicles driving towards Oxford were forced to sharply break, with one overturning on the road.

Defence barrister Michael Hayton said Trusler felt genuine remorse for killing Mr Wakefield, of Aldbourne, Wiltshire, and had spoken with his victim's family to apologise.

Trusler, of Oat Hill Drive, Northampton, was also handed a four-year driving ban and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.