The young driver who mowed down twin girls at 102 kilometres an hour last year has been jailed for two years and banned from driving for 10, having already been convicted three times of driving the same vehicle without a licence and insurance cover.

“He expects to do what he likes and ignore regulations and laws,” Magistrate Doreen Clarke said of 21-year-old drug addict Maximilian Ciantar as she handed down a sentence she said was “near the maximum”.

Mr Ciantar, of Marsa, was driving his father’s Peugeot Partner at the time of the incident. The vehicle was only insured for drivers over 25. He has several other criminal convictions to his name.

Speaking after the judgment was handed down yesterday, the girls’ parents, Stephen and Monica Falzon, said they hoped nobody would ever have to go through the pain and suffering they have had to endure.

The girls, who are now 12, are still recovering from the accident, which occurred at about 7.15 p.m. on April 28, 2010 as they crossed the zebra crossing in Ħal Warda Street, Attard.

They had just emerged from a Christian doctrine class and waited until cars coming from their left had stopped before their father, who was waiting on the other side, waved to them to cross as no other cars were approaching.

It took Mr Ciantar just 11 seconds to make it from the traffic lights on Mdina Road, turning left into Ħal Warda Street, and knock down the children.

A court expert said his car was doing 102 kilometres an hour.

The children, Sarah Marie and Rebecca Marie, were still suffering both physically and psychologically and they might never make a full recovery, a number of court-appointed medical experts said.

The impact on Rebecca Marie was so great she damaged the right wing and door of another car against which she was thrown, the court said.

In the days following the accident, Rebecca Marie was in a coma and on the danger list. Although from a neurological point of view there was no permanent deficit, she could suffer from the effects of post-concussion syndrome, surgeon Antoine Grech testified.

He said that when he saw her again a few months after his initial visit she had made progress in terms of cognitive function, concentration and memory but when it came to behavioural problems, such as anxiety, she still needed to make improvements.

Orthopaedic surgeon Massimo Abela and court-appointed forensic pathologist Mario Scerri said Sarah Marie, who needed to be operated upon twice, sustained grievous injuries and it was likely she would need a lot of time of recover.

The girl had a broken leg and injured ankle, which affected her growth plate, so there would need to be follow-up visits to make sure her leg was developing properly.

In her considerations, the magistrate said Mr Ciantar, who was 20 when the accident occurred, had already been convicted eight times for various crimes, three of which were driving without a licence and insurance cover.

She was aware he had a serious drug addiction but the courts had also given him several chances to reform and he chose not to take the opportunity.

Mr Ciantar was jailed for two years, disqualified from driving for 10 years and the van was confiscated. The ban on driving becomes effective when he serves time.

During the case, he won €1,000 in compensation for breach of human rights because although he had been granted bail, the conditions imposed meant he was denied effective release. He was kept at Mount Carmel Hospital because of his acute drug addiction.

Lawyer Adrian Camilleri appeared for Mr Ciantar.