A cyclist was knocked under the wheels of a bus and crushed to death after a driver in a parked car “threw his door open recklessly”, a court heard today.

Sam Harding, 25, died on August 6 last year after 32-year-old Kenan Aydogdu opened the door of his parked Audi R8 car without checking, it is alleged. Mr Aydogdu denies the charge of manslaughter against him.

The Old Bailey also heard that the defendant had tinted the windows of his car, making it more difficult for him to see out or for passing cyclists to see into the vehicle.

Bobbie Cheema, prosecuting, said that Mr Harding had been cycling along Holloway Road in North London and had been due to move in with his girlfriend