Man Avoids Prison After Hit-and-Run Incident in Newport
Jordan Willetts, a resident of Newport, has avoided a prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of dangerous driving, driving without a licence, and failing to stop at the scene of a crash. The incident occurred last November when Willetts struck a pedestrian with his electric motorbike and fled the scene.
Willetts surrendered to the police two days following the crash. At the time of the incident, he was driving the wrong way down a one-way street in Newport.
Details of the Incident
The victim, Sam Bevan, 33, from the St Julian's area of Newport, was crossing Fairoak Avenue when he was hit. Bevan was knocked unconscious for approximately five minutes and was found lying face down in the road by neighbours.
The collision resulted in severe concussion and facial cuts for Bevan. He had no memory of the crash and only became aware of the event after his neighbour showed him CCTV footage described as "brutal." Bevan expressed particular distress over the hit-and-run nature of the incident.
"That's what's annoyed me, the disrespect and not being humane and checking up on someone."
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
At Newport Magistrates Court on Thursday, Willetts received a 12-month suspended sentence. Prosecutors informed the court that Willetts "eventually" handed himself in two days after the crash.
When questioned about the crash after his guilty plea, Willetts stated:
"Of course I'm sorry, why would I have handed myself in if I wasn't sorry?"
Willetts' father had previously commented that his son had made a "mistake."
Additional Information on the Vehicle
Investigations revealed that the electric motorbike was originally a push bike that had been modified. Police discovered these modifications when the vehicle was seized. Willetts was also disqualified from driving.
Community Response
Two days after the crash, neighbours who had assisted Bevan visited his home to check on his condition. They informed him that he had been struck by what they described as an e-bike, and the graphic CCTV footage confirmed the details of the incident.
