A DRIVER who left a cyclist with life-changing injuries has been jailed.

Adrian George of Robert Louis Stevenson Avenue, Bournemouth, was found guilty of two charges at Weymouth Magistrates Court last month.

Yesterday, George, 39, returned to the same court and was jailed for failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report the collision.

He was told to serve a four-month sentence for each charge, which will run concurrently.

Earlier, the court had been told that the charges referred to a collision on the A338 Wessex Way at the Cooper Dean flyover on April 27 last year.

Sarah Faulkner was knocked off her bicycle by George's Renault Master van at around 7.45am.

She received life-changing injuries, including several fractures and a head injury that led to a subdural haemorrhage.

Police seized George’s van a day after the incident.

Forensics matched it to glass taken from the scene of the incident.

George had already admitted to the charge of careless driving on October 15.

He accepted he had been in a collision with the bicycle but denied knowing about it at the time.

Patrick Goodings, prosecuting, read Miss Faulkner’s victim statement to the court, which was recorded in June last year.

In her statement, Miss Faulkner said: “The injuries I have sustained mean my life will never be the same again.

“I’m concerned about my future financial situation as I won’t be able to return to work in the near future.”

Brendan Allen, representing George, said the bench wasn’t dealing with someone who was a bad person.

He said: “It’s not surprising in his pre-sentence report he maintains what he said in his evidence.”

Mr Allen added George was “horrified and deeply ashamed” by his actions, which had left him unable to concentrate and engage with others.

The bench heard George’s previous convictions, which span across an 18-year period.

Those included charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance and two separate drink/driving related offences.

Mike Owen, chairman of the bench, said they accepted George had shown remorse for his actions but this was a very serious case and incident.

He added that only a custodial sentence was appropriate in view of the bench’s findings.

George will also be disqualified from driving for 12 months and will remain so thereafter until he passes a test.

Mr Owen said there would be no separate penalty imposed for the charge of careless driving.