A driver knocked a teenager off her moped in a hit and run in Weymouth, a court heard.

Magistrates were told that the crash left the victim struggling to find the courage to ride a moped again.

Lee William Barnett, 30, was sentenced at Weymouth Magistrates Court after admitting driving without due care and attention, driving a vehicle and failing to stop after an accident, failing to report the accident, and using a vehicle on a road without third party insurance.

David Finney, prosecuting, said the crash occurred on Tuesday, January 29 at around 4pm at the junction of Stanley Street and Queen Street in Weymouth.

The victim, Summer Neffati had been waiting at the junction 'checking the road was clear' before she began to move.

She was knocked off her moped by an Isuzu Trooper which did not stop.

Mr Finney said Miss Neffati was left with a sore neck as well as bruising to her knees.

A police appeal led to the identification of Barnett, of Pound Close, Charminster, as the driver of the vehicle.

Mr Finney said: "He was interviewed and gave an account of what happened. In terms of the road traffic accident, he accepted being the driver.

"He said he could see the scooter on its side, he wanted to stop to see if they were ok but his boyfriend was shouting 'just go, you will get into trouble'. He drove off due to this encouragement."

In a victim statement read to the court, Miss Neffati said her moped had been left in a 'unrideable condition'.

She said the incident had caused her both physical and mental pain, and that she had been struggling to find the courage to ride a moped again.

The moped was her means of transport to and from college and to see her friends, but she now has to rely on friends and family.

She added: "I want the person responsible for this to feel guilty."

Simon Lacey, mitigating, said: "He does feel remorse for what he has done. He realises that he should have stopped."

He said Barnett has mental health problems and has been a victim of domestic violence.

Chairman of the Bench, Sandra Wayman, asked Barnett to convince the court that he would comply with a community order.

Barnett said that he would commit to the order and had 'learnt from past mistakes'.

Mrs Wayman said the order was an opportunity for Barnett to turn his life around.

He was given a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete a 'thinking skills' programme as well as 10 days rehabilitation requirement.

Barnett was disqualified from driving for two years, fined £100 and ordered to pay £300 compensation to the victim.