A TT fan who crashed his bike into a car driven by a double amputee has been sentenced to 200 hours’ community service.

David John Herbert, of Lucknow Road, Willenhall, pleaded guilty in court to a charge of causing serious bodily harm by driving without due care or consideration.

The community service is a direct alternative to 12 weeks’ custody and must be completed within 12 months.

Herbert was also banned from driving for 18 months and must retake and pass his test before driving again.

The court heard that the driver of the car, Philip Ashley Hedges, had lost the sight in one eye as a result of the incident.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on June 9 at 3.50pm, police were called to an accident at Bulgham Rocks on the Laxey to Ramsey coast road involving Herbert’s R5 V4 Factory Aprilia.

Herbert had been riding on the A2 road from Laxey to Ramsey when Mr Hedges was driving his Vauxhall Astra in the opposite direction.

As Herbert went through Bulgham Rocks he failed to negotiate the bend and went into the opposite carriageway, hitting Mr Hedges’ car, causing it to spin and collide with a stone wall.

The court heard that Mr Hedges was a double leg amputee and his vehicle was adapted so he could control it by hand with an automatic gearbox.

Mr Hedges told police that he saw one bike flying at him which managed to get onto its own side of the road just in time.

He then saw Herbert on a second bike heading ’straight for the centre of his vehicle’.He said that he took evasive action, moving his car to the left, but the bike hit the side of his vehicle.

Mr Hedges’ car hit a wall and he said he felt his face hit something very hard.

In hospital he was diagnosed with severe bruising to his left side, a cracked rib and fractured eye socket and was said to have lost the sight in his eye permanently.

Defending Herbert in court, advocate Roger Kane said: ’My client accepts he was travelling too fast for the corner and lost control. He feels sincere and genuine remorse towards Mr Hedges.’

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