A MAN who ploughed into a mother and son in a horror quad bike crash is a convicted armed robber, we can reveal.

Gulhassan Khan, 23, of Duke Street, Colne, crashed into the pedestrians in Manchester Road, Nelson, leaving the pair seriously injured.

He fled but handed himself into police shortly after and has now pleaded guilty to a string of driving offences.

Khan is awaiting sentence after carrying out two armed robberies where he and a gang threatened staff with a shotgun, including one incident at the Spar in Melville Street, Burnley.

A 56-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when an off-road vehicle ridden by Khan careered into them on the pavement, on Tuesday, November 13.

At a hearing before Burnley magistrates, Khan pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene of an accident, driving without due care and attention, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

The woman suffered serious head injuries, including losing skin from the back of her head, a broken leg and fractures to her shoulder and ribs.

Her son was left with two compound fractures to his ankle and a broken leg.

The injured pair, who live in Nelson, were treated at Royal Blackburn Hospital and are now recovering.

Now Khan has spoken for the first time about the quad bike incident and said he wanted to apologise to the victims.

He said: “It was just an accident, I am horrified at what has happened.

“It’s the worst thing that has ever happened to me but it is nothing in comparison to the injuries of the other people really.

“It was a friend’s bike and I was only sitting on it to get a photo to put on Facebook. As I’ve climbed on and turned the key it has just started going.

“It’s only gone 100 yards down the road, but I’ve not got a licence and I’ve never been on something like this before, I didn’t know what to do.

“I don’t remember anything from the impact but then I came round and saw the people I had hit, it was terrible. I had a lot of people around me pushing me and shouting at me.

“I went to Burnley hospital but I rang the police from there and told them what had happened and they came to the hospital.”

Khan was released on bail for pre-sentence reports to be produced.

He will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, December 21.

In July Khan pleaded guilty to carrying out two armed robberies. One was at the Melville Street Spar and the other at the Tote Sport bookmakers in Bury. The incidents happened just hours apart on September 1, 2009.

Khan will be sentenced for the armed robberies on January 14 alongside a co-accused, Mohammed Usman Khan, 22, of Kent Street, Burnley.