A speeding biker who collided with a pedestrian while trying to evade police has been spared jail.

William Bernado was "aggressively" riding a Suzuki GSR 600 and at double the speed limit when he careered into Julie Riddles in Tunbridge Wells, fracturing her thigh bone.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Bernado did not have a licence and was therefore also uninsured when he hit Ms Riddles as she was crossing Mount Pleasant Road near the War Memorial at about midday on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

He did not brake or take any action to avoid her and, on collision, lost control of his bike.

Ms Riddles later needed surgery for her injury and also suffered bruising to her face and what was described as a "nasty" laceration to her elbow.

Witnesses told police Bernado was "revving, accelerating and quickly going through the gears", reaching a speed of about 40mph in the 20mph zone when he struck the pedestrian.

One member of the public was so alarmed by the then 21-year-old's riding prior to the collision that they feared he would kill someone if he did not slow down.

The court heard Ms Riddles recalled standing at a bus stop and waiting to cross the road but has no memory of actually doing so.

Bernado, now 23 and a delivery driver of Priory Road, Tonbridge, subsequently pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

At his sentencing hearing on March 13, prosecutor Daniel Stevenson told the court that following his arrest, Bernado admitted he had "accelerated hard" along Mount Pleasant Road "to get away" from a police car.

"He did so because he was concerned that the police would stop him," said Mr Stevenson.

"He agreed that the manner in which he rode was dangerous. He did not have insurance. He also did not have the correct licence."

Referring to an eyewitness's account of his aggressive driving, the prosecutor continued: "While stationary and waiting to turn into Mount Pleasant Road, the defendant was revving the engine.

"He began to accelerate, quickly moving through the gears. She (the witness) commented to her husband 'Look at how quick he is going, it's a 20, he needs to slow down. He is going to kill someone.'."

Bernado also rode the motorbike into Mount Pleasant Road on the wrong side and was, said the prosecutor, "going far too fast".

"The witness saw Ms Riddles in the road, around two feet from the kerb. She was facing towards the HIgh Street and the direction of oncoming traffic," he explained.

"There was nothing which would have obstructed the defendant's view of Ms Riddles. She (the witness) saw the defendant collide with Ms Riddles at speed - she estimates around 40mph.

"He did not apply the brake and he did not take any action to try to avoid colliding with her. As a result of the collision the defendant lost control of the motorbike and it slid along the road."

Ms Riddles was taken to hospital where she had to have pins inserted into her fractured femur.

The court heard it was not until five months after the incident that police interviewed Bernado, with his first appearance in front of magistrates in mid 2023.

Kerry Waitt, defending, told the court Bernado was "a very different man" to the one who "foolishly and recklessly" injured Ms Riddles, and had since given up drugs as well as passed his driving test.

Referring to a letter in which the defendant was said to have expressed "profound apologies", Mr Waitt added: "He fully understands the magnitude of the situation and the pain and distress he has caused Ms Riddles and her family.

"There is nothing that can describe the regret and remorse he feels every day for his actions and he takes full responsibility. Nothing I say can undo the harm this young man's foolish and reckless actions have caused."

Mr Waitt urged the court not to "wreck another life" by sending him to prison immediately.

On deciding to impose a two-year jail term suspended for two years, Recorder Sarah Counsell said she had taken his guilty plea, previous good character, his maturity and the delay in court proceedings into consideration.

But she told Bernado that although he had now "changed his life around", it was "catastrophic" for his victim that he had not done so before the day of the collision.

"She was a vulnerable pedestrian and caused very serious injury. We have heard the impact that your action has had on her life," said the judge.

"You fractured her femur and that has had a lasting impact on her ability to run her business, to do the job she was trained to do, to live the life she was living before you collided with her.

"Her life is not going to be the same as a consequence of your selfish actions to get yourself out of trouble with police when you knew what you were doing was wrong."

Bernado, who faced a maximum sentence of five years behind bars, was ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation activity sessions and 240 hours of unpaid work.

He was also banned from the road for three years and ordered to take an extended test to regain his licence, with the judge commenting that it had been "naive" of him to take up a job that involved driving "any vehicles" while the court case was hanging over his head.

But in spite of being told he had £2,500 in savings, Recorder Counsell did not award compensation, saying she did not want to affect any outstanding motor insurance claim.

But she added that any sum she may have considered, even if "considerable", would not "put right the impact" on Ms Riddles's life.