A MOTORCYCLIST crashed a bike head on into a car in a 'horrifying' crash while riding the wrong way down a dual carriageway.

Ronnie Best was still on crutches and winced in pain when asked to stand nearly a year after the crash as he appeared for a sentencing hearing at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday.

However, the 29-year-old who admitted dangerous driving from the outset was spared jail because the judge said he had already suffered permanent, life-changing injuries as a result of the crash.

Best was on the wrong side of the A38 Rubery bypass when he crashed a Yamaha R6 into a Seat Leon at around 5pm on April 10 last year during what may have been a road test for the bike.

Best has no recollection of the crash which resulted in multiple fractures and required six operations so there has been some degree of speculation about what happened.

He has also developed PTSD as a result and asked not to see dashcam footage of the crash.

Best also admitted driving without insurance and otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Best had taken his compulsory basic training but this had expired.

Even had it been valid he would only have been able to ride bikes up to 125cc.

The bike he crashed was 600cc, placing it in what prosecutor Naomi Nelson-Cofie called 'superbike territory'.

Witnesses described the bike being ridden in excess of 100mph and vehicles having to move to lane one to avoid a collision.

Miss Nelson-Cofie said: "All witnesses describe the defendant on the motorcycle essentially staying on the motorcycle and sliding or skidding further down the road."

The driver and passenger of the Leon, who swerved to try and avoid the bike, received bruising and superficial cuts and whiplash type injuries.

Miss Nelson-Cofie said all witnesses agreed that there was nothing the driver of the Leon could have done to avoid the impact.

No drink or drugs were found in the defendant's system other than the ketamine administered after the crash.

Simon Worlock, defending, said: "Sitting in the public gallery is Mr Best's sister and mother who were called to the scene where this accident had taken place.

"The horrifying nature of the accident is still in their memory."

Mr Worlock said his client, a fencer by trade, owed his life to the swift actions of the emergency services that day. Best had been following up an advert for the bike which was on sale for £3,500.

He said all he could do was speculate on what happened and said: "It looks very much as if the powerful bike took over and he wasn't exercising proper control."

Best was not wearing protective clothing and Mr Worlock added: "I'm not sure he wasn't wearing shorts."

Mr Worlock said: "Of course, he came within a whisker of causing his own death."

His leg has still not healed and remains broken and infection had set in, the consequences of which could be enormous said Mr Worlock.

Best is also set to become a father in March. Doctors had told Best that, were he not such a 'substantially built man', he would 'surely have died'.

Judge Martin Jackson told the defendant: "For some inexplicable reason you ended up riding a 600cc motorcycle the wrong way on the A38 at Rubery."

The judge added: "It strikes me a rehabilitative sentence is perhaps the best approach I can take.

"You have already had a substantial punishment as a result of what you inflicted upon yourself."

He imposed a two year community order to include 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and fined him £100.

No separate penalty was imposed for driving without insurance or otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Best of Ringwood Drive, Rednal,was banned from driving for two years and must complete an extended driving test if he wants to hold a full driving licence again.

He was further ordered to make a £200 contribution towards costs.