A Cyclist left brain damaged after he was knocked off his bike is set to receive millions of pounds in compensation.

Hamish McCullough was 24 when a Peugeot 205's wing mirror clipped him as he cycled along Fawler Road, Kingston Lisle, near Uffington, in July, 2001.

He was thrown from the saddle, suffering head injuries which led to a ruptured artery and culminated in severe brain damage, the High Court was told.

Mr McCullough, of Baulking, near Stanford in the Vale, appeared in court in a wheelchair. He relies on the care of his parents, John and Susan. The Peugeot's driver -- Gordon Mitchell, of Mill Lane, Lambourne -- was driving on a provisional licence and without supervision.

He failed to stop after the accident and, in March 2002, was given a two-year jail term for that and perverting the course of justice. The Court of Appeal freed him in September 2002 when judges halved the jail term.

Through his father, Mr McCullough sued the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB), the industry body that compensates victims of unin- sured drivers.

After negotiations outside court, his counsel, Frank Burton, told Mr Justice Gray the MIB had agreed to settle his case on the basis of 75 per cent of a full valuation of his claim. The reduction was because the organisation claimed that liability for the accident was disputed, and that Mr McCullough should have been wearing a helmet.

Although the exact payout has yet to be agreed, Mr McCullough's solicitor, Timothy Woolford, said compensation would total millions of pounds.