A MOTORCYCLIST who mowed down a schoolgirl while jumping a red traffic light has avoided jail.
Travis Potts, 22, knocked the 12-year-old across the street then fled the scene in Dover, Kent, in November, 2021.
Potts was handed a suspended sentence at Canterbury Crown Court, KentOnline reports.
The court heard how Potts was riding his black KTM Duke when he smashed into the youngster as she crossed London Road on her way to class.
He left the area while other pedestrians rushed to the victim’s aid before handing himself in to police later that day.
The girl was taken to hospital with a double leg fracture which required a cast for six months.
She was was also left unable to sleep properly, experiencing flashbacks and anxiety.
Potts, who was himself struck by a hit-and-run driver aged 12, claimed his helmet visor had steamed up so he missed the red light then panicked so didn’t stop.
Prosecutor Nicholas Jones said: “[The victim] waited at the pedestrian lights [which] turned to green and she, along with other pedestrians, crossed the road.
“She was struck by this defendant who had gone through a red light.”
Alan Balneaves, mitigating, said his client felt “genuinely crestfallen” and “feels awful over what he did”.
Judge Simon James sentenced Potts to 12 months, suspended for two years, and banned him from driving for three years.
He must also take an extended retest, pay £250 in costs, and complete 20 probation days and 200 hours of unpaid work.
