Ex-Westfield head cleared of charges

A former principal of Westfield College has been cleared of motoring charges arising from the hit-and-run death of a pensioner.

Sir Bryan Thwaites, 76, college principal from 1966 to 1983, was cleared of careless driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report it to police.

The prosecution alleged that Sir Bryan's car struck Ian McKee, 83, as he crossed a pelican crossing in Winchester last November. He died two months later. Basingstoke magistrates found Sir Bryan, who had denied all three charges, not guilty.