A technician who was left paralysed after a crash when road-testing a Ferrari for his employer is suing the dealer for compensation.

Stephen Harris was working at Kent High Performance Cars, which trades as The Ferrari Centre in Maidstone, when the crash happened.

He was testing a Ferrari 348TS at speeds of up to 80mph on the A274 before losing control and hitting another car before leaving the road and crashing into trees.

Harris claims that the owner of the car showroom, Roger Collingwood, told him to 'open her up' - meaning to put his foot down to test the £30,000 supercar was running smoothly.

He also claims that his former boss told him to take the car to 100mph before the smash in 2008.

Harris, whose job was to service and repair cars and test-drive them before handing them back to their owners, now needs constant care and is wheelchair-bound.

Harris claims his former employer was negligent and will argue his case in court next year.

Collingwood said all employees knew the rules and were told to obey the law. He described the case as "tragic" but strongly disputes any negligence.