Amar Mahmood, 24, deliberately drove at Daniel Boniecki after mistakenly thinking his victim had stolen two mobile phones.
Prosecutor Paul Nicholson told Bradford crown Court that Mahmood had lost the phones after leaving them in a shop on Killinghall Road in Bradford just before 10pm on June 17.
After ringing one of the devices, Mahmood got through to Mr Boniecki who had retrieved it from a bush where it had been left by a friend of his.
Mr Boniecki, along with another friend, Zilvinus Bliukis, had managed to find both phones by the time they met Mahmood and an accomplice at around 10.15pm.
Mr Nicholson told the court that as a “scuffle” ensued, Mahmood got into his Vauxhall Corsa and sped towards the two men, hitting Mr Bliukis with the car’s wing, causing a head wound that required seven stitches.
Mr Boniecki was hit “head-on”, leading to him being hospitalised with the most serious level of traumatic brain injury. He suffered “extensive” fractures to his skull, a brain haemorrhage, and was forced to undergo “emergency life-saving brain surgery.”
The court was told that Mr Boniecki was not discharged from hospital until July 12, and in a victim impact statement, he said the attack had left him unable to work and with a “morbid fear” of leaving the house.
He said: “Since the day of the incident my life has changed dramatically and in every aspect. The situation seems hopeless and I am losing the will to live.”
Mr Nicholson said that doctors found it “highly unlikely” that all the pathways in Mr Boniecki’s brain would return to normal.
The court heard that Mahmood had been on-bail at the time of the attack having been arrested for drugs offences on May 12.
At around 7.25am, police executed a warrant at his home on Dalby Avenue, Fagley, Bradford, finding 488g of heroin, with a street value of £24,400, in a bedroom wardrobe. Officers also seized a number of mobile phones and fashion items worth £6,790, including a Gucci belt, bag, and jacket, a Rolex watch, and some Prada spectacles.
A series of texts on one of the phones indicated that drug deals worth £14,087 had taken place over a nine-day period, yielding a profit of £12,777.
Mahmood had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, and the possession of class A drugs with intent to supply prior to yesterday’s hearing.
In a letter written to the court, he said he conceded his actions in attacking Mr Boniecki were “unforgivable”, stating it was a “spur of the moment” decision for which he now felt genuine remorse.
Ayesha Smart, mitigating, said Mahmood had been the main breadwinner for his mother and three younger sisters, with his partner due to give birth to his child in three month’s time.
On his role in the drugs offences, Judge Jonathan Rose told Mahmood: “It was not for the purpose of being a breadwinner for your family, they had no need for Gucci or Prada. This was you making a substantial profit from a pernicious industry.”
On the attack on Mr Boniecki, Judge Rose said: “You took the law into your own hands to wreak vengeance on a man entirely innocent of any offence against you.
“You got into your car and you drove it at some speed at this group of men. You used your car as a weapon.
“This was a young, healthy, and active man. You have damaged his life to a highly significant degree.
“The prognosis is poor. You have ruined this man’s life.”