King’s Lynn man Ivan Andrews at risk of prison sentencing after causing crash which led to motorcyclist’s finger being amputated

A motorcyclist had to have his finger amputated after another biker crashed into him while overtaking.

The decision to overtake on the A149 on a led to 63-year-old Ivan Andrews being charged for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and admitted to the offence he committed more than two years ago.

Prosecutor Jessica Neequaye told the court that on November 13, 2022, Andrews was driving his motorbike on the A149 from Hunstanton heading back towards his home at Woodside in Lynn.

He was seen overtaking a number of vehicles before colliding with another motorcyclist when Andrews was on the wrong side of the road.

Andrews was driving at the speed limit of 60mph and had “clear visibility” at the time of driving, despite it being “dark”.

The victim who was crashed into suffered from numerous injuries that have had long-lasting effects on their life.

The driver had to have his little finger amputated and suffered from numerous fractures in other fingers.

He also suffered a fracture to his right knee, which had to be realigned and stabilised during an operation.

In a statement, the victim said that the crash left him with “serious injuries that I will never recover from”.

“I’m likely to never have full feeling in my leg,” the victim said.

“This has stopped me from riding bikes which is something I loved doing.”

In mitigation, duty solicitor Geroge Sorrell said that Andrews has been riding motorbikes for his “whole adult life”.

“He tells me that he always rides carefully as he can. He doesn’t ride for the thrill or the excitement, but simply as a mode of transport,” said Mr Sorrell.

“He didn’t see the other motorcycle, the road was dark. There was this unfortunate accident, causing serious injuries to the other rider. He [Andrews] cannot explain why that happened.”

Mr Sorrell urged magistrates not to send Andrews to prison.

The solicitor added: “There was no criminality with this, this was an accident.”

Magistrates ordered that an all-options report should be completed by the court’s probation service before Andrews is sentenced.

This means he is still at risk of being sent to prison.

Andrews will return to Lynn Magistrates’ Court on February 13 next year to hear his fate.

In the meantime, an interim driving disqualification has been imposed on him until he is sentenced.