Learner driver sentenced after leaving motorcyclist with brain damage in Mansfield crash

Curtis Brooks originally approached a roundabout in the left lane on Mansfield Road, Clipstone, on 13 June 2025.

As he travelled around the junction, the 33-year-old suddenly swerved to the right, causing him to collide with a motorcycle driver travelling beside him.

The motorcyclist was knocked from his bike and was left with multiple fractures including to his spine, neck, and 13 ribs.

He has also suffered brain damage and nerve damage to his left arm and hand.

The 66-year-old rider said in a victim impact statement that before this collision he was ‘fit and independent’ and able to take care of himself, his wife and family – including his grandchildren.

But now, he lives in ‘constant pain and discomfort’ in his ‘body and mind’.

The provisional licence holder was being supervised by his partner who was on the phone at the time of the crash. He also failed to display the required L-plates on his vehicle.

Brooks, of Manvers View, Boughton, went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and driving without a licence.

Appearing at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (22 January), he was handed a 24-week jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Brooks has also been banned from driving for one year, is required to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and must participate in 12 rehabilitation days.

Case Investigator Sophie Law, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Although this result cannot change the fact that the victim has suffered such serious injuries, I hope Brooks facing the courts can provide some comfort to him and his family.

“This incident goes to show how ignoring the rules of the road can have serious consequences for not just the driver, but for other road users.

“Learner drivers are held to the same standards as any fully qualified driver, and we would expect them to be safely supervised too.”