A MOTORIST who fatally injured a cyclist has been convicted of causing death by careless driving.

Alasdair Dudgeon was killed near the Kincardine Bridge on 6 January 2013 when James Sneddon knocked him off his bike in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Dudgeon suffered a broken neck and internal injuries as he commuted to his work at a bakery near Falkirk at 2am.

Sneddon (42) was found guilty of causing the 51-year-old’s death, after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday (28 July).

Mr Dudgeon, of High Valleyfield in Fife, regularly cycled to and from his work as a baker at Tesco in Camelon, just outside Falkirk.

He was cycling on the A985 road between the Longannet roundabout and the Kincardine Bridge when he was hit by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Sneddon, of Falkirk.

Sneddon called an ambulance, but paramedics found no sign of a pulse on the victim before taking him to Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert, where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses said weather conditions were clear and visibility was reasonable on the night of the crash, with a police officer noting that the red flashing light on Mr Dudgeon’s bike was bright enough to be seen from 300m away.

Prosecutors said that although Mr Dudgeon had not been wearing a high visibility jacket, Sneddon should have seen him well before the collision and should have taken steps to avoid the cyclist.

The Crown originally charged Sneddon with causing Mr Dudgeon’s death by dangerously failing to observe the cyclist and colliding with the rear of his bike, which he denied.

After a trial, the jury found him guilty on the lesser charge of death by careless driving. He will be sentenced later after background reports are compiled.