A bus driver who crashed his double-decker because he was too tired to be behind the wheel killing one of his passengers has been jailed for seven years.

Saeed Abbas had 44 passengers on board when his bus veered off the road, across a forecourt, and smashed through a stone wall.

It ended up down a banking embedded in the garage of a house on the road into Huddersfield and 40 of his passengers were injured.

One of them, 82-year-old Albert Rowley suffered an open fracture to his leg and despite seeming to make a good recovery after undergoing an operation he suddenly died in hospital almost three weeks after the crash in September 2006.

Married father-of-three Abbas, of Marsh Street, Marshfields, Bradford, pleaded guilty before Christmas to causing Mr Rowley's death by dangerous driving and two further allegations of careless driving relating to his driving of the bus that morning.

During yesterday's hearing at Bradford Crown Court it emerged that earlier that same morning Abbas had narrowly missed hitting a bridge parapet on the Stanningley bypass when his bus was doing 47mph and packed with commuters.

Prosecutor Andrew Dallas showed the court video footage taken from the double-deck which showed the shocked faces of passengers as the vehicle veered back on to the carriageway.

Judge Christopher Prince described that near-miss as a 'rehearsal'' for the fatal crash which happened just under two hours later.

'How much greater warning can a driver possible have that he is too tired to drive than nearly crashing his vehicle into a bridge at the side of the road?'' asked the judge.

He said Abbas, who tried to blame that erratic driving on a passing motorbike, had made a conscious decision to continue his shift when he was not just tired, but extremely tired.

Mr Dallas told the court how Abbas had been seen yawning, rubbing his eyes and even reading bus timetables as he drove along.

At one point he was driving one-handed for almost half-a-minute and when he picked up passengers in Brighouse he even pulled up at the wrong stop.

The court was shown video footage of Mr Rowley, of Brighouse, going on to the top deck of the bus shortly before the crash which happened when Abbas over-compensated by steering to the left after his vehicle drifted across the centre white line.

Judge Prince watched graphic footage of the bus careering off the road and demolishing the wall before coming to a halt in a pile of rubble.

Abbas claimed that the accident had been caused by a mechanical fault with the steering, but investigators ruled out any fault with the bus.

It emerged yesterday that Abbas had started working for First Buses less than a year after passing his car driving test.

Mr Dallas said the 26-year-old's records showed that during his time as a bus driver he had been involved in four collisions.

One incident led to him getting a verbal warning and disciplinary proceedings were pending against him after he was involved in a collision 19 days before the crash.

Paul Lewis, counsel for Abbas, submitted that his client had expressed remorse for the offences, but Judge Prince said he did not accept that bearing in mind that he had lied to the police and had only entered his guilty plea a few days before his trial.

Judge Prince referred to a statement from Mr Rowley's sister Mary Rose in which she described him as a 'father figure'' for the whole family following the death of her father when she was only two years old.

The court heard he was one of eight children and a skilled stone mason who worked in manual occupations all his life.

'Looking at the film of Mr Rowley he looks like a character,'' noted Judge Prince.

'Reading about him he clearly was a character and a much loved character at that.'' Mr Rowley was described as an extremely fit man who was still building walls and helping in his sister's garden despite his age.

'In cases of this type a sentence of imprisonment can never compensate nor is it intended to compensate for the loss of a loved one,'' said Judge Prince.

The judge told Abbas that public service vehicle drivers were entrusted with the lives of their passengers every time they went out in their vehicles and passengers were entitled to expect them to drive responsibly and carefully.

He also banned Abbas from driving for five years and told him he must pass an extended test before he can drive lawfully again.

Judge Prince said Tiredness Kills was a slogan that all drivers had seen lit up in neon on motorways and it was impossible for any driver not to be aware of the danger tired drivers caused to themselves, other road users and passengers.

Judge Prince said Abbas chose to continue driving when his destination was not even close and he still had a full shift ahead of him.

'It was a conscious decision you made to drive while not just tired, but extremely tired and what is worse it was a conscious decision that was made after you had received a warning as to the condition you were in,'' said Judge Prince.

'Why did you make that decision to continue when it was crystal clear to you the condition you were in. Surely it was only for one reason. It was because you did not want to tell your employers how tired you were during the course of your employment.

'You should have stopped that bus at that first incident because you were not fit to drive it and you knew you were not fit to drive it.

'How much more warning did you need than you had nearly driven the bus into the solid parapet of a bridge.

'At least you missed the parapet because had you hit that, and you did come close, I have little doubt that many more people would have been killed or seriously injured by the manner of your driving.'' Judge Prince said Abbas had shown a complete disregard for the safety of his passengers and had abused his position of trust entirely.

The court heard that others passengers on the bus had been left traumatised by the crash and Judge Prince said it was extremely surprising that more people were not seriously hurt.