The lorry driver who knocked down the Times journalist Mary Bowers as she cycled to work was cleared today of dangerous driving and fined £2,700.

Petre Beiu, 40, a Romanian citizen, had admitted that he had not been paying enough attention when his lorry dragged Ms Bowers, 28, under his Tipper lorry in November last year.

Jurors took one hour to clear him of dangerous driving but found him guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving.

Beiu, who has previously admitted a series of tachograph offences, including driving a lorry for 20 hours in one day when the maximum is 9 hours, said in the witness box that he was full of remorse over the incident, which resulted in serious injuries to Ms Bowers.