THE driver of a small lorry who seriously injured a motorcyclist in a road traffic collision outside an Enniskillen hotel almost two years ago “simply didn’t see” the other vehicle, Fermanagh Magistrates Court has heard.

Arthur George Neville Elliott (40), of Glennasheevar Road, Garrison, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily injury to French tourist, Jean Pierre Derimay, while driving without due care and attention at Dublin Road, Enniskillen on August 18, 2015.

The court heard that, at 3.45pm, a police mobile patrol attended the scene of a road traffic collision on Dublin Road, outside the entrance to the Killyhevlin Hotel.

A white-coloured small lorry had stopped at a filter lane on the road and was turning right into the hotel when it had collided with a black motorcycle.

The male motorcyclist and his female passenger were both injured, the court heard. The man was lying nearby and was conscious and breathing, while the woman was on the grass verge.

The defendant, who had been driving the van, was holding a jumper to the motorcyclist’s leg in a bid to stop the bleeding. He was speaking to the Ambulance Service on his mobile phone.

Police observed that Elliott was upset and having a panic attack, so they took the phone from him and spoke to the Ambulance Service themselves.

As the defendant was in a “state of shock”, officers advised other members of the public on how to treat him until an ambulance arrived.

The motorcyclist and his passenger were conveyed to Altnagelvin hospital, the court heard.

He sustained several fractures to his right leg and an injury to his thumb. His lower right leg had to be placed in a cage.

The woman suffered injuries to her collarbone, although the defendant was not charged in connection with these.

Elliott was taken to South West Acute Hospital, where he was treated for shock and kept overnight.

A statement was recorded from the injured party, a French tourist who had been on his way to the Lough on a vintage motorcycle.

He said that he was travelling at around 50 to 60km/h when the accident had occurred. He had observed the lorry in the filter lane, but had not expected it to turn right until he had driven past.

After the collision, the injured party said he had experienced “severe pain” in his leg and remembered being on the ground looking for the female passenger.

Meanwhile, the defendant was interviewed by police as a voluntary attender.

He told officers he had been cutting grass at the hotel prior to the incident, had went to the shop in his vehicle to get water and was coming back when the collision occurred.

Counsel for the defence told the court that his client “simply didn’t see” the motorcycle and couldn’t explain why he missed it.

The barrister said that Elliott hadn’t tried to distance himself from what happened and was “very apologetic”.

In mitigation, he argued that the defendant had a “low level” of culpability.

The barrister said that the self-employed gardener accepted he had to be punished, but was more fearful of what would happen to his family as a consequence of losing his licence.

He added that Elliott, who had suffered from post-traumatic stress, had entered a guilty plea at the first opportunity.

District judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that the defendant’s driving had been at the “lower end” of careless, but the offence was aggravated by the injuries to the motorcyclist, who did not have the same protection as someone driving a car.

Describing Elliott as a man of “otherwise good character”, the judge noted that he had taken this matter very seriously.

Mr. Broderick imposed a £500 fine, a £15 offender levy and disqualified the defendant for the minimum period of 12 months, given the impact of the ban on his work.