A DRIVER has been found guilty of careless driving following a crash which left a BMW worker dead.

Martin Baber, 51, had denied killing BMW worker Norman Clayson by driving dangerously and on the second day of a trial at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Julian Hall ruled there was not enough evidence to stand up that charge.

He then directed the jury to find Baber, of Stowell Place, Witney, guilty of careless driving, a charge he had previously admitted. A charge of causing death by dangerous driving was yesterday dropped against Martin Baber, of Stowell Place, in Witney.

Mr Clayson, of Butts Road, Faringdon, died when his 750cc motorbike was involved in a crash with Baber’s Citroen C5 on the A420 in January last year.

Baber was involved in the collision as he attempted to turn right from Buckland Road.

Baber's barrister Shariz Aziz made the application to halt the trial following the prosecution case.

Judge Hall told the court there were no aggravating features in the case and ordered the jury to dismiss the death by dangerous driving charge and find Baber guilty of careless driving.

The jury heard neither driver was under the influence of drink or drugs and there were no mechanical defects on either vehicle which could have contributed to the accident. There were also no eyewitnesses.

Baber was fined £750 plus £15 victims' surcharge and his driving licence - clean prior to the accident - was endorsed with nine penalty points.

The court heard earlier that following the crash, Baber told a lorry driver who stopped after the accident that he had not seen the motorbike approaching as he turned onto the dual carriageway shortly after 5am.

The jury heard that Mr Clayson worked at the BMW Mini plant in Cowley and had recently switched to the morning shift.