A MAN has been fined £830 for nearly killing a police officer in a road crash near Alresford.

Darren Hankin was driving a yellow Audi S3 along the A31 at Four Marks when he cut into the path of PC Nick Barman on his police motorcycle.

PC Barman, 47, sustained serious internal and brain injuries and broken bones and almost died at the scene on February 4.

He was taken to Southampton General Hospital where he remained in critical care for over a month. He is now recovering at home.

Hankin, 41, of Bernard Avenue, Four Marks, admitted careless driving when he appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates Court.

He was fined £650, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and costs of £85. He also received nine penalty points on his licence.

Via a statement from his solicitor, Hankin accepted full responsibility and did not seek to mitigate his actions. PC Barman's partner Alice Morrison was in court to hear the plea.

PC Barman, based at Whitchurch 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 them in the near future to thank them in person.”