A GP from Slough has been cleared over the death of a motorcyclist in one of the first trials to start since lockdown.

Dr Mohammad Tahir, 45, was accused of failing to spot Thomas Bailey when he made a right turn in his car onto Battersea Bridge in west London in October 2017.

A jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for three and a half hours to find him not guilty of causing Mr Bailey's death by careless driving.

The trial, which lasted one and a half weeks, was among the first in England and Wales to be held under strict social distancing rules, with the case split between three courtrooms.

On the morning of October 4, 2017, Dr Tahir had been driving a Toyota Prius along the Embankment on the north side of the Thames.

As he turned right onto Battersea Bridge, he crossed into the path of Mr Thomas, 35, who had been riding a Honda.

After the crash, Dr Tahir told police: "Turning right at the light, he's hit me.

"I just didn't see him at all.

"First I knew about it was the collision."

But prosecutor James Brown told jurors: "Mr Bailey was there to be seen, riding a motorcycle along a straight road with the headlight and at least one sidelight illuminated.

"The Crown's case is that the defendant simply didn't look properly at the road ahead before he turned."

Mr Bailey was travelling along the 30mph Embankment just after 6.30am wearing reflective silver bands.

He was likely to have been travelling at between 30-45mph on impact and it was possible he ran the red light at the crossroads, the court was told.

An accident investigation found Dr Tahir was doing around 25mph as he approached the junction.

Had he stopped or gone very slowly when he spotted Mr Bailey, the collision could have been avoided, it was alleged.

Dr Tahir had denied the charge against him and gave evidence over two days.