A lorry driver with a "wretched disregard" for the rules of the road was this afternoon jailed for three-and-a-half years for killing a cyclist during the morning rush hour.

Barry Meyer, 53, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court this afternoon, a month after belatedly pleading guilty to causing the death by careless driving of music industry executive Alan Neve at Holborn in July 2013.

Meyer, from Walthamstow, had previously been banned from driving on five occasions and was uninsured and had no HGV licence at the time of the fatal collision.

Judge Daniel Worsley told Meyer his offence was at the top end of the scale for death by careless driving, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. He also banned him for driving for 10 years.

Judge Worsley said Meyer had caused "indescribable" harm to Mr Neve's widow Penny Johnson, his teenage daughter Matilda and his family. A lorry driver who tried to help Mr Neve was so traumatised at the sight that he had a mental breakdown and lost his job.

Judge Worsley told Meyer: "It's an understatement to say the impact of the harm you caused was devastating beyond all measure.

"The degree of your carelessness was in my judgement about as high as the court may ever have to deal with for this offence for causing death by careless driving, as opposed to causing death by dangerous driving.

"You have a sustained history of driving offences showing wretched disregard for the safety of road users."

The judge said Mr Neve, from Poplar, was "in every way the finest and most decent of men" as he heard in a harrowing victim impact statement from Ms Johnson how his death had left her totally devastated.

The judge reduced Meyer's sentence from 48 to 42 months as a result of his guilty plea, which he made last month only after the judge said he would allow his past driving record to be put before the jury.

Mr Neve died instantly from massive head injuries when Meyer drove the Volvo lorry “straight over the top” of him at 9.24am on July 15, 2013.

Mr Neve was one of 14 cyclists killed in London in 2013. Five have died in the capital this year.

Meyer’s view of Mr Neve, who had the right of way, was blocked by a toilet roll and sat-nav holder on his dashboard.

CCTV footage from Meyer’s lorry and other vehicles showed how he drove through a red light in Procter Street and stopped the lorry in a yellow box junction in High Holborn, before advancing through heavy traffic on to Mr Neve, running him over with the vehicle's front and rear wheels.

Meyer had been following a colleague driving another tipper truck. He had eight seconds to spot Mr Neve, either in his mirror or while he was in front of his lorry, but failed to react.

The lorry firm was not named in court. It is understood police have decided not to prosecute - which caused concern from the judge.

"Heaven knows why the lorry owners let you drive that vehicle without checking and seeing whether you had a proper HGV licence," he said.

Mr Neve's family said today in a statement: "Alan was a kind, loving, optimistic, law-abiding man who had many years of life ahead of him.

"It was his great misfortune to travel the same route as Mr Meyer on July 15, 2013.

"Many people have been deeply affected by Alan's death. We are relieved there has finally been an end to this process and that there is some sense of justice for Alan. Alan will never ever be forgotten."