Jessica Wells, 22, pictured outside the Old Bailey in London, had overtaken a lorry and undertaken a learner driver in the moments before the fatal crash

A motorbike rider who hit and killed a pensioner as he got off the bus when she checked to see how far over the 30mph speed limit she was has been spared jail.

Vegan chocolate maker Jessica Wells, 22, spotted a speed camera as she weaved in and out of traffic and looked down at her dashboard - which showed she was doing 44mph - in the seconds before she hit 80-year-old Ian Rose.

She had overtaken a lorry and undertaken a learner driver just moments before.

At that moment Mr Rose was getting off a bus in Eltham Road in Blackheath, south east London before Wells crashed into him.

Prosecutor Nicola Merrick said: 'About 100 metres before the collision she overtook a lorry on her inside and shortly after that she undertook a learner driver on her outside.

‘The overtaking manoeuvre took place about 87 or so metres short of the collision with Mr Rose.

‘She was travelling somewhere short of 44 miles per hour.

‘She noticed a speed camera. It seems that Ms Wells looked at the speed camera and checked her speed.

‘That point of distraction was where, sadly, she collided with Mr Rose.’

Wells was also injured and took full responsibility for the collision when she was interviewed in hospital, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Rose, who was heading to his home on Raven’s Way when the accident happened at on March last year at around 12:30pm.

He lived alone and had no family apart from a nephew in Scotland who had not spoken to him in many years, the court heard.

Wells of Swaffham Road, Wendling, Derenham, Norfolk, admitted causing death by careless driving and was today given a sentence of four months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

The tragic crash happened on Eltham Road in Blackheath, south east London

Wells, pictured, was also injured and took full responsibility for the collision when she was interviewed in hospital, the Old Bailey heard

The court heard she works as a full-time production assistant for a vegan chocolate company, is a person of ‘impeccable character’ who felt ‘deeply remorseful’ for her actions.

‘This knowledge and the guilt of something that she did is a thought she has to live with every day of her life,’ defence counsel Alexandra Tampakopoulos said.

Judge Philip Katz QC told Wells: ‘I accept that you have from the word go shown a considerable degree of remorse here.

‘It’s quite clear to me you are a sympathetic and compassionate young woman.

‘You are also very conscious of the fact you have taken somebody’s life, a fact you will have to live with for the rest of your life.

‘I accept wholly that you are thoroughly remorseful about what you have done.

‘It seems to me I will cause more damage than justice requires if I sentence you to prison.’