A Land Rover Discovery driver who knocked a cyclist off his bike in Carnon Downs seriously injuring him was later told in error by police that she’d killed him.

Sarah Pearce, 47, a personal tutor from Feock, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving without due care and attention when she appeared at Truro Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The prosecution told magistrates that, on June 24 last year, Pearce pulled out in front of cyclist Andrew May in her Land Rover Discovery at Carnon Downs.

Initially Devon and Cornwall Police reported Mr May, who’s in his fifties, had suffered life threatening injuries and he was taken to hospital.

The prosecutor Miss Bryant, told the court that Mr May was riding his bike along the main road at Carnon Downs with Pearce waiting at the Forth Coth junction with Tregye Road.

She said witnesses saw her look both ways and then pull out of her side road into the path of Mr May. She stopped immediately but it was too late and he had hit her Range Rover’s front wing.

“Mr May suffered a series of injuries including abrasion and bruising to his elbows, legs and hips,” said Miss Bryant.

“A CT scan also showed he had bruising and bleeding on the brain. He also fractured his collar bone and his left upper arm and had bruising to both of his lungs.”

Defending Pearce, her solicitor said her client was finding the whole thing “incredibly difficult”.

“This has been horrendous for her and her family,” she said. “Nothing I say takes away from the injuries Mr May sustained, but this is a lady who is of exemplary character.”

She said: “One can only describe it as a momentary lapse and that’s what takes it into the criminal realm and not just an accident.”

She said her client had looked to her left but hadn’t seen the cyclist because he was obscured by the car coming up beside her. She said it was a “momentary lapse of attention”.

“The pain and distress is huge,” she said. “She feels dreadful about the cyclist.”

She’s said Pearce was a law abiding citizen who had never been in trouble with the law before and had “glowing references”.

She said there could be some blame for Mr May as witnesses said he was travelling at nearly 30mph on his bike.

She said the family received a letter from the police notifying them that Mr May had died and there had been a fatality.

“Luckily Mr Pearce opened that letter and phoned the police and said he didn’t realise that was the situation. I don’t think he had much of an apology, it was an error,” she said.

“These are a hardworking and conscientious family, law abiding citizens and to receive something like that, Mrs Pearce has taken that very badly.”

She said it had had such an impact on the family that they were looking at moving up country.

Banning Pearce from driving for 12 months and fining her £240, the chair of the magistrates said it was over now and she could hold her head up high again.

“We’ve read all your references and you are a good person and you are loved by a lot of people,” he said.

Pearce was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £96 and costs of £85.