Claire Oliver put off her big day this month because she is not fully recovered from her injuries.

The driver responsible admitted three motoring offences in court yesterday.

Claire was left lying in the road just days before Christmas when Kieran Sulkiewicz struck her in his red Nissan Micra outside the Floaters Mill pub, in Fence Houses.

Shocked witnesses looked on as he continued driving, although he later told police he watched his victim being put into an ambulance after pulling up in the pub car park.

Sulkiewicz, 21, of Callington Close, Burnmoor, admitted driving without due care and attention, failing to stop and failing to report an accident when he appeared before magistrates in Consett yesterday.

The court heard he is already serving a 16-month road ban after he was caught drink driving a month after the accident, which happened on December 21.

Steph Donington, prosecuting, said Sulkiewicz was tracked down by police after an anonymous tip-off.

An officer spotted damage to the car, caused where the wing mirror was ripped off on impact, when he visited Sulkiewicz's home and the driver later admitted the offences in interview.

Ms Donington said Miss Oliver, then 23, was hit as she got out of a taxi with a friend after a party in Newcastle.

Witnesses said they heard a loud bang and the pub's manageress and a nurse, who had both been passing in their cars, pulled over to give her first aid. Ms Donington said: "The incident had put a strain on her relationship with her fiance.

"She was due to get married in July, but needs another operation on her right knee, so has cancelled her wedding and wants to be fully recovered.

"Her leg is deformed and swollen and that might not go down."

Miss Oliver, of Woodstone Village, was due to marry fiance Kel Scott.

A statement read out in court from Miss Oliver said: "I can't believe a human being would do such a thing and not stop to see if I was ok."

Ms Donington said in interview Sulkiewicz claimed he did not think he had done anything wrong, except for not telling police of the incident.

Alan Devin, defending, said: "He knew there had been a collision but went around the roundabout and stopped in the pub car park, saw she was being attended to and people around her and an ambulance arrived."

Magistrates sentenced Sulkiewicz to a six-month driving disqualification for each of the three charges, which will run concurrently with his existing ban.

He was also fined £200 for failing to stop, £200 for failing to report the accident and £150 for careless driving, and also ordered to pay £60 costs and £15 victim surcharge.