A cyclist who knocked down an 84-year-old pedestrian who later died has been jailed for seven months.

Darren Hall was riding "like a bat out of hell" when he came down a hill and jumped on to the pavement to avoid a red traffic light, Dorchester Crown Court heard.

As he went round a blind bend, he saw Ronald Turner but was travelling too quickly to take evasive action. He knocked over the pensioner, causing him to fall into the road and suffer head injuries on 8 August last year in Weymouth, Dorset.

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An off-duty nurse helped the pensioner, who was taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester but died almost two weeks later on 21 August. Hall, 20, a supermarket worker from Weymouth, pleaded guilty to one count of wanton and furious driving causing bodily harm and was sentenced yesterday.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months. Mr Turner's daughter Gillian Muhl said in a statement: "The cyclist was described as riding like a bat out of hell. Mr Turner's family are relieved that the whole episode has been brought to a close and urge all cyclists to stay off the pavement." The pensioner's family said those cyclists who broke the law had to face the consequences of their actions.