A WOMAN whose careless driving left a leading Northern actor fighting for his life has been fined £115 and handed six penalty points.

Film, television and theatre star Martin Barrass suffered two heart attacks, chest injuries, 17 broken ribs, liver and ligament damage and a fractured ankle after Raghvir Kaur Toor drove her car in front of him as he rode his motorcycle on the A59 towards Harrogate on September 10.

Northallerton Magistrates Court heard the Emmerdale and Angels actor, who has appeared alongside Berwick Kaler in the York Theatre Royal Pantomime for 30 years, tried to swerve and brake, but clipped the side of Toor’s Vauxhall Astra as she pulled out of the Halton East junction with Newbridge Lane at 2.50pm.

Speaking about the crash last month, Mr Barrass said: “I stood up, took my helmet off, said to the driver ‘oh great so this happens when you actually get hit on a motorbike,’ and then I just completely collapsed – maybe I did a stage fall. Then I don’t remember anything until I woke up in intensive care.”

The Northern Echo: Martin Barrass performing in York Theatre Royal's pantomime

Martin Barrass performing in York Theatre Royal's pantomime

The 60-year-old, who has appeared in Heartbeat and The Bill, said his heart stopped for five minutes after he was flown by Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary. “It was touch and go,” he added.

After news the crash spread, Mr Barrass was inundated with messages of support from fans.

Mr Barrass said he was continuing to recover after spending eight weeks in hospital, during which he lost three stone in weight.

Although he was unable to take part in this year’s production of Cinderella, when he watched a performance last month he was invited on stage and received a standing ovation.

Hayley Jameson, prosecuting, said when Toor was interviewed by police she made no comment, but accepted that she had pulled out in front of Mr Barrass.

The court heard Toor, a 61-year-old mother-of-two and shop owner from Skipton, had admitted driving without due care and attention at the first opportunity.

Tom Gent, mitigating, said while Toor had seen Mr Barrass, the crash had been the result of her mistaking the amount of time she needed to make a manoeuvre.

He said she was facing legal action for compensation.

Mr Gent said: “The defendant is extremely sorry for her misjudgement. She has never been involved in any sort of road traffic collision and has never had any points on her licence.”

Magistrate Ron Stead said while the results of her careless driving had been serious for Mr Barrass, her clean driving record, early guilty plea and financial circumstances had been taken into account when determining the fine.