Maureen Jesper, 88, was not aware she hit the mum-of-two (Picture: BPM Media)

A pensioner who knocked down a cyclist ‘without knowing’ before carrying on driving has been spared jail.

Maureen Jesper pleaded guilty to causing the death of Jacqui Witham by careless or inconsiderate driving.

Birmingham Magistrates Court was told the 88-year-old was behind the wheel of her Renault Clio when she struck the mum-of-two.

The incident took place on Friday Lane in the village of Barston, near Solihull, on January 12 last year.

Jesper was said to have heard a ‘thud’ as she drove along the 50mph stretch but failed to realise what had happened.

A short while later she discovered the wing mirror of her car was hanging off.

Footage from a nearby estate showed Ms Witham trying to get up before being hit by another car, a Nissan Juke.

Detectives originally believed it was the only vehicle involved in the collision, but after reviewing CCTV they saw what had really happened.

The second driver stopped immediately and was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Members of the public rushed to administer first aid before police and emergency services arrived, but Ms Witham died at the scene from her catastrophic injuries.

Her sister Julie Haye described the 46-year-old as ‘the most fun-loving, generous’ mum and revealed that 400 people attended her funeral.

Angela Hallam, prosecuting, said the Crown accepted Jesper had not realised her actions until police arrived at her home.

‘Jesper had no idea she had been involved. She was quite shocked by what she was told,’ Ms Hallam said.

Meanwhile, Matthew Kerruish-Jones, mitigating, said his client had accepted she was driving without care.

He stressed she was deeply remorseful and wished to issue a public apology to members of Ms Witham’s family.

Mr Kerruish-Jones said Jesper’s culpability was low and pleaded with the judge to consider the lowest form of penalty.

He said that while her failure to see the cyclist was careless, she was driving at a relatively low speed of 36mph with her vision impacted by glare that created a shadow on the verge.

‘Many people’s lives have forever been altered,’ Mr Kerruish-Jones said. ‘She is genuinely remorseful.

‘This is a lady who comes to court who has lived a life of hard work and graft and has never been in trouble before.’

Jesper, of Sambourn Close, Solihull, was spared time in jail, but was disqualified for driving for 10 years and ordered to pay costs of £459.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The victim was described as ‘the most fun-loving, generous’ mum.