Electric motorbike rider given 12-month suspended sentence after 'brutal' hit-and-run

A man who knocked a pedestrian unconscious with an electric motorbike and fled the scene has received a 12-month suspended sentence.

Jordan Willetts, from Newport, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and failing to stop at the scene of the crash in Newport last November. He had been riding the wrong way down a one-way street at the time.

Willetts handed himself in to police two days later.

The victim, Sam Bevan, 33, told BBC Wales he had no memory of the crash and only learned of it after a neighbour showed him "brutal" CCTV footage.

On Thursday, Willetts was also banned from driving for two years and six months and must pass an extended test to regain his licence.

Newport Magistrates' Court heard how Bevan, from the St Julian's area of Newport, had been at the boot of his car which was parked on Fairoak Avenue on 11 November 2025 when he crossed the one way street, carefully checking in the correct direction of traffic.

His next recollection was being in the Grange Hospital, Cwmbran, with cuts and bruising to his face, undergoing scans and other tests with no recollection of what had happened.

CCTV later revealed the moment Sam was hit by someone riding an electric motorbike who sped off and left him in the road but only after neighbours came to Sam two days later and explained what had happened.

Previously, Bevan said he was particularly upset that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run.

"That's what's annoyed me, the disrespect and not being humane and checking up on someone."

Sam was told he would not be able to drive for six months and was off work for weeks.

The court heard that Willetts handed himself into the police two days after the incident.

Police investigators discovered illegal modifications had been made to the bike, changing it from a push bike to an electric motorbike.

Defending Willetts, Paul Morris, said the 35-year-old had no previous convictions and argued that disqualification would affect his work in the family delivery business.

He said the collision had "shocked" Willetts, who believed "someone was trying to knock him off to try and steal the bike".

District Judge Sophie Toms rejected that account, saying Willetts had left his victim "for dead".

Addressing Willetts, she said: "You deliberately made a decision to ignore the rules of the road," adding that he had carried out "a highly dangerous manoeuvre" by riding the wrong way around the roundabout.

Judge Toms said leaving the injured man in the road was an aggravating factor, adding that Willetts had ridden away while "potentially leaving him with a fatal head injury".

She ordered Willetts to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and imposed an electronically monitored curfew requiring him to remain at home between 20:00 BST and 05:00.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation, £85 in costs and a £187 victim surcharge.

Willetts shook his head as Judge Toms imposed the lengthy driving ban.

At a previous hearing, Willetts' father told the BBC his son had "made a mistake". Jordan Willetts also said: "Of course I'm sorry. Why would I have handed myself in if I wasn't sorry?"