A driver has walked free after he was cleared of causing the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving.

Michael Jones had admitted the lesser offence of careless driving and was fined £500. He was banned from driving for a year.

A judge said the 46-year-old had an impeccable record and it was a serious lapse which led to the death of Lloyd Haines.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Jones failed to give way in his Ford Focus C-Max at a junction and collided with the speeding Yamaha motorcycle.

Mr Haines, 22, who grew up in Dartford and was living in Rochester High Street with his fiancee, was killed instantly.

Jones, of Ash Road, Dartford, denied causing death by dangerous driving, claiming he did not see the motorcycle coming in the other direction.

He was going to his ex-wife’s home and was not sure which turning to take.

The jury of seven women and five men took just over 30 minutes to return a verdict on Friday.