A MAN was crushed by a bus in Swindon and left with terrible injuries... and the driver did not even stop to check on him, a court heard.

Passengers told the magistrates in Swindon of the moment they pleaded with their driver Peter David Johns to stop, as he crushed businessman Mark Scott between his bus and a car.

Johns was two-thirds of the way into his shift working for the Swindon Bus Company when his bus hit Mr Scott outside the town's railway station.

In witness statements read out in court by prosecutor Pauline Lambert, passengers spoke of hearing a cracking sound as Mr Scott was crushed between the rear of the bus and his mother’s car.

One woman pleaded with the 62-year-old driver to stop. “She called out to the driver asking him to stop. She says he said, ‘shut up’,” said Ms Lambert.

When asked again to stop the bus Johns refused, the witness said. Another passenger gave evidence to police.

Ms Lambert said: “He thinks almost everyone on the bus was shouting for the bus to stop.”

Magistrates heard Mr Scott was standing in Station Road outside the Great Western Hotel at 7pm on Saturday, February 24, while he said goodbye to his mother, who had parked on the kerb.

He signalled to bus driver Johns he was there. But rather than stop and wait for Mr Scott to move out of the way, Johns mounted the kerb on the opposite side of the road in an attempt to drive around the parked car, the court was told.

Mr Scott was caught between the bus and the car. In the process he broke his pelvis and bones in his feet, his bladder was perforated and his bowel torn.

He spent a month in hospital after the accident and is still waiting for surgery to fix broken bones.

Johns stopped shortly afterwards to let a shocked passenger off the bus, but then continued on his normal route.

When he was interviewed by police, Johns admitted he had heard banging on the side of the bus, but thought it was someone “being rude” so he continued driving.

Ms Lambert said when Johns was shown CCTV of the crush he said: “I just wanted to get the shift finished.”

Johns, of St Michael's Avenue, Highworth, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a road accident.

Defending, Cathy Thornton said her client “accepts his driving fell way below the standard expected of a bus driver”.

Ms Thornton added: “He tells me he expressed remorse to the police officer about his decision making. He was a bit shell-shocked at the interview.”

Addressing the comments from passengers, she said: “Some people were saying something. He couldn’t hear exactly what. He continued. He looked in his rear mirror and thought the man was okay.”

Johns is of previous good character and has been a bus driver since 2002.

He will be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court next month.

Chairman of the bench Peter Hyson said: “You had another opportunity when you stopped at the traffic lights, but you continued driving and by your own admission were focused on finishing the shift.”

Johns will appear before Swindon Crown Court on Friday, September 28.

Following the case, Alex Chutter, general manager of Swindon Bus Company, said a full investigation had been carried out, adding: “The individual concerned no longer works for the company. I would like to offer my best wishes to the other road user involved, and hope he has made a full recovery.”