A 61-year-old driver has been warned he is facing jail after a jury found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in a crash near Worcester Warriors ground.

John Shaw was driving a high performance £90,000 Jaguar F-type convertible away from a promotional event at the rugby ground when he crashed head-on into a VW Golf.

VW driver David Smith died from his injuries after the crash at 2.15pm on Saturday October 12, 2013.

A jury of seven men and five women took just over an hour after a week-long trial at Worcester Crown Court to decide unanimously that Shaw, of The Meadway, Headless Cross, Redditch, was guilty of driving dangerously.

He admitted causing death by careless driving but denied his driving fell into the dangerous category.

Judge Richard Rundell adjourned sentencing for reports and Shaw was granted bail to return to court on Friday.

“The overwhelming likelihood is that a prison sentence will be imposed and you have to prepare yourself for that,” the judge told Shaw, who appeared in court with the aid of crutches after being seriously injured in the crash.

A driver for 42 years with a clean record, he was immediately banned from getting behind the wheel following the verdict though the court heard he had not driven since the accident.

Shaw, a motor/vehicle technician since the age of 15, had been asked by a friend who worked for Listers car dealership to take the Jaguar back from Sixways to the garage in Ombersley Road, Worcester. It was one of four Jaguars on a static display at the event, which also featured a cycle ride. Shaw was experienced in driving high-powered Jaguars but he lost control of the 500bhp car - said to be capable of 0-100 in 8.8 seconds - on Pershore Lane. Witnesses said they saw the car “fishtailing” as it came off a roundabout and it hit the VW at over 50mph.

Mr Smith, a 59¬year¬old rugby referee from Chippenham, Wiltshire, was on his way to be an assessor at a game between Worcester Wanderers and Newton Abbot. He was president of the Somerset County Rugby Football Union and of Old Sulians rugby club in Bath.