Ryan Birkett was sentenced to almost five years in a young offenders centre

A teenage motorcyclist who killed a Dagenham engineer when he did a 60mph wheelie into his car has been locked up for almost five years.

Peter Tickner

Ryan Birkett, 17, who has never taken test, was ‘showing off’ and riding a stolen Triumph Sprint ST 955CC at more than twice the 30mph speed limit.

He smashed into Bradley White’s Peugeot in Goresbrook Road Dagenham, as Mr White was turning right into Starmans Close on July 14 last year.

Mr White’s 23-year-old friend Peter Tickner, of Starmans Close, was a passenger in the car and died instantly after the bike embedded into the vehicle, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Mr White suffered serious internal injuries and was in hospital for four days, said prosecutor Jocelyn Leward.

Birkett, of Baden Close, Dagenham, has numerous previous convictions and was on bail for robbery at the time of the smash.

The bike had been stolen from Barking and Dagenham College just hours before the collision.

Sentencing Birkett to 56 months in a young offenders’ centre yesterday, Judge Nigel Peters QC said: “You were no doubt showing off to your friends and seeking simply to drive dangerously.

“The crown cannot say if it was you who stole the bike but it must have been obvious as it had no key.

“Nothing said in this court can be of any assistance to the mother of Peter who sits in court and has suffered gravely and continues to suffer as a result of what happened.”

Judge Peters also banned Birkett from the road for six years and ordered that he must take an extended driving test.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Tickner’s mother, Dee, said: “My son had everything to live for. He was at a stage in his life where he was extremely happy.”

Birkett admitted death by dangerous driving and causing aggravated vehicle taking.