A biker has admitted causing a head-on crash, injuring another rider, while he was riding after drinking during TT week.

The court heard Martin Francis Bradbury, of Glossop, Derbyshire, had run away from the scene of the crash on the Sulby Straight by the time police arrived.

The victim, who had been travelling in the opposite direction, had to undergo surgery on his knee, a fractured collar bone and a torn knee tendon.

Bradbury admitted causing serious bodily harm by driving without due care, failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident and drink-driving.

When the 57-year-old appeared before magistrates this week he was committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery to appear there on July 6.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on June 7 at 5.41pm, police received a 999 call reporting a head on collision on Sulby Straight.

A witness said he was driving behind Bradbury, who was riding a Suzuki 1400.

He was said to be veering into the opposite side of the road as a group of bikes were coming in the other direction.

He eventually crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided with another rider who was on a Triumph.

hedge

The Triumph ended up on top of its rider against a hedge.

As other riders helped the stricken man, Bradbury was seen heading off through a gap in the hedge into a garden.

He was identified by police from his bike registration but later, at 8pm, handed himself in at police headquarters.

However, he initially denied he was riding his bike saying that he had left the keys in the seat box and it had gone missing.

Bradbury was taken to hospital for treatment and on June 9, when reinterviewed by police, admitted he had been the rider of the Suzuki.

He told police he had drunk two cans of Stella before setting off to ride from Peel to Ramsey.

When he crashed he said he had panicked and fled the scene.

An expert’s report ruled that Bradbury would have produced a breathalyser reading of no lower than 45. The legal limit is 35.

However, despite Bradbury being sentenced on the basis of that reading, the report added that the reading would have been far more likely to have been around 59.

No bail application was made and Bradbury was remanded in custody.