A MOTORIST has been fined £830 after pleading guilty to causing a collision which almost claimed the life of a Hampshire police officer.

Darren Hankin was driving a yellow Audi S3 on February 4 when he pulled out into the path of PC Nick Barman who was responding to reports of a collision on his marked police motorcycle.

Whitchurch roads policing officer PC Barman, 47, sustained serious internal injuries, a brain injury and broken bones and almost died at the scene.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital where he remained in critical care for over a month following the crash on the A31 at Four Marks near Basingstoke. He is now at home continuing his recovery.

Hankin, 41, of Bernard Avenue, Four Marks appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to careless driving.

In a statement from his solicitor, he accepted full responsibility for the incident and did not seek to mitigate his actions.

Along with the fine he was given nine penalty points on his licence. PC Barman's partner Alice Morrison was in court to hear the plea.

PC Barman, who underwent 31 hours of surgery after the crash and still has further operations to come, said: "It's important that Mr Hankin knows that Alice and I bear no ill will towards him whatsoever. Everything that happened occurred in literally one 40th of a second. A moment earlier I would have had enough braking distance to avoid a collision, a moment later and I would have overtaken him. The whole thing was an accident and I bear no grudges, especially as Mr Hankin has been so honest about his mistake from the start.

"I still have a very long road to recovery ahead, but injuries willing I am determined to return to work.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support since the crash, especially Alice, those responsible for saving my life and my colleagues who had the difficult job of investigating the incident. I have had wonderful support from my friends, family, medical professionals, colleagues and from the chief constable Andy Marsh who had to deal with my crash on his first day as chief constable - that must have been tough!

Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “The role of a police officer is an increasingly challenging one and, as Nick's collision has shown, not one without risks.

“His incredible recovery is testament to his bravery, positive attitude and resilience, not to mention the around-the-clock care and support of his partner, Alice.

“I would like to reiterate Nick's thanks to the air ambulance and medical team for all their work. And I very much hope to meet with them in the near future to thank them in person.”