A 19-year-old with no driving licence or insurance drank six pints and took cocaine before mounting his friend’s motorcycle and ploughing into a pedestrian at speed, leaving the 22-year-old with life-changing brain injuries — then fled the scene leaving his victim unconscious in the road.
Liam Kenny spent several hours drinking at the Ship Inn in Hartlepool on 10 May last year, ordering his last pint at 6.30pm before walking out with it in his hand and taking his friend’s Yamaha motorcycle for a ride through a 20mph zone. CCTV footage shows him knocking back drinks from around midday. Moments later, cameras captured him speeding down the road.
Ryan Cameron was outside helping his mother deliver pizzas, having just closed his parked car door and stepped back to wait for traffic to clear. He spotted the bike hurtling toward him and leaned back toward the car — but had no time to move. Kenny slammed into him and then into two parked cars behind, scattering debris across the road. Horrified bystanders rushed to help as Kenny fled, leaving Ryan lying in the road.
Ryan, who has learning difficulties, was airlifted to hospital where he underwent emergency treatment for a fractured skull, multiple bleeds to the brain and a broken jaw. He has since required ongoing neurorehabilitation — a specialist process typically used to treat strokes and traumatic brain injuries — and is now described as totally dependent on his family due to memory impairment and emotional dysregulation. He is unable to work. A year on, he continues to undergo rehabilitation.
Ryan’s father told investigators the knowledge that Kenny had run left his son lying in the road still haunts him. “Knowing that Liam Kenny had left my son in the road after the accident, trying to get up — it still boils my blood to this day,” he said.
After the crash, Kenny went to a hospital claiming he had fallen down stairs. When staff asked about his alcohol consumption, he became abusive and left without treatment. He was subsequently arrested, with bodycam footage capturing him saying: “Yeah I have had a drink, I told you.” Testing found he was almost four-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol limit and twelve times over the limit for benzoylecgonine, which is linked to cocaine use.
Kenny was sentenced to 30 months in prison and disqualified from driving for 51 months. The owner of the motorcycle, Adam Nixon, 22, was convicted in August 2025 of permitting the use of a vehicle without a licence or insurance and drug driving. He was disqualified for 17 months and ordered to pay a fine and costs.
Detective Constable Aileen Ward, from the Matrix Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This was a 20mph area designed to protect the public, yet Liam Kenny chose to ignore the law. The impact on his life is irreversible. A year on, he continues to undergo rehabilitation and has shown remarkable strength throughout his recovery. Choosing to drive while under the influence, or to ignore speed limits, can destroy lives, including your own. It is simply not worth the risk.”
