Dad drink driving on school run killed cyclist who clipped his wing mirror in road rage row

Résumé détaillé

Mercedes driver David Morgan, 40, swerved into dad-of-three Richard Smith in Norwich, throwing him over his handlebars into the road and causing fatal head injuries

A drink driver on a school run has been found guilty of murdering a cyclist he swerved into during a road rage row about overtaking.

David Morgan, 40, moved his Mercedes into the path of victim Richard Smith, who was flung over his handlebars and into the road after clipping the wing mirror. The dad-of-three suffered "extensive head injuries", and died in hospital three days later.

Morgan was convicted of murder by a jury yesterday afternoon. During the trial, Morgan admitted to Norwich Crown Court that he wanted to "wind" Mr Smith up after the latter clipped his Mercedes CLA 180 sports car. The two men did not know each other.

It was heard that father-of-three Mr Smith had shouted at Morgan, who had been trying to overtake and undertake traffic as he travelled to pick his children up from school. Morgan said he "heard a bang" on the side of his car and said Mr Smith called him a "d*** head or "k*** head".

When Josh Normanton, defending, asked Morgan how he felt about someone having hit his car, Morgan replied: "A bit p****d off." He added he had always had "rubbish cars" but had "worked really hard" to get his Mercedes.

Dr Benjamin Swift, a consultant forensic pathologist, told the court Mr Smith suffered from a "complex of fracturing" to the right side of his skull. The fractured measured 19.4cm long - extending from Mr Smith's right eyebrow towards the back of his head.

Below that Dr Swift found "additional fracture lines" including a hinge-type fracture, which was a "significant fracture" and extended from "ear to ear". As well as other skull fractures, Mr Smith had also suffered a "severe-traumatic brain injury" with bruising and tearing to the brain surface.

The jury of nine women and three men heard the brain was swollen with bleeding over the brain surface as well as bruising to the left side of the brain. CCTV released by the CPS shows Morgan ordering drinks at around 1.39pm - just under four hours before the incident - and his arrest.

He said he was "scared" as…

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