The driver of a monster truck that drove into a crowd of spectators, killing three and injuring 28 others, has been jailed for 15 months.

Mario D has also been banned from working as a stuntman for 10 years.

A five-year-old boy, a 50-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman died when the truck veered into the crowd during a stunt show in the centre of Haaksbergen in September 2014.

The Almelo court also ruled that the event organiser, Stichting Sterevenementen, should be provisonally fined €25,000, saying it was partly to blame for the deaths and injuries.

Mario D told the court during the trial he had taken his foot off the accelerator but the throttle stayed open, making it impossible to slow down the truck.

‘If the throttle is open you can brake as much as you want. I’ve been driving this truck for nine years and nothing like this has ever happened before,’ he said.

However, the court ruled D should have done more to reduce the risk of injury. Technical checks on the truck showed it did not meet international safety standards and that its rear wheel steering system did not work, news agency ANP reports.