Catherine Hitchcock, headmistress of London's £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School, has pleaded guilty to driving without due care following an incident on 10 February in which she caused cyclist Robert Atkinson to fracture his wrists. The accident occurred at a mini roundabout in Wimbledon Village when Ms Hitchcock pulled into the cyclist's path, forcing him to fall forward onto his handlebars and off his bike. This case is notable given her prominent position in London's private education sector as both a school leader and governor of other elite institutions.

Ms Hitchcock, 49, did not physically strike the cyclist's bike but her manoeuvre caused the collision. At Lavender Hill Magistrates' Court, her lawyer admitted she had failed to give way to the cyclist, who held right of way, and apologised for the incident. The court imposed a fine of £911 and five penalty points on her driving licence; her defence argued there was a 'significant distance' between the vehicles and characterised the injuries as minor. Ms Hitchcock, who studied geography at Oxford and UCL, previously held a clean driving record and has worked as governor for numerous London private schools as well as with the Department for Education's Independent Schools Inspectorate.