A drink-driver who deliberately swerved his Mercedes into a cyclist after the rider clipped his wing mirror has been found guilty of murder at Norwich Crown Court.

David Morgan, 40, of George Winter Court, Norwich, was convicted on 11 November of murdering Richard Smith, 50, following an eight-day trial. The jury of nine women and three men returned a unanimous verdict.

Mr Smith, a father of three, was cycling home from work along Chartwell Road in Norwich on 8 May when he came into contact with Morgan's white Mercedes CLA 180 Sport. Prosecutors told the court that Morgan then deliberately swerved his car at the cyclist, throwing him over his handlebars and into the road. Mr Smith suffered catastrophic head injuries and died in hospital three days later, on 11 May.

Drinking, drugs and a row over a wing mirror

The court heard that Morgan had spent the afternoon drinking at a pub before collecting his children from school, and was over the drink-drive limit when he was later stopped. A breath test recorded 57 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, against the legal limit of 35, and a roadside test also came back positive for cocaine and cannabis.

Prosecutor Charles Myatt told jurors that the collision was a deliberate act, carried out after a perceived slight moments earlier, when Mr Smith clipped the car's wing mirror. Morgan denied murder, telling the court he had only wanted to annoy the cyclist and had misjudged his timing when he swerved towards him. On the first day of the trial he had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The jury rejected his account. The case was investigated by Norfolk Constabulary, with Detective Inspector Sam Pontin as the senior investigating officer. Norfolk Constabulary confirmed the verdict and said Morgan had been remanded in custody.

Sentencing in November

Morgan will return to Norwich Crown Court for sentencing on 30 November. Murder carries a mandatory life sentence in England and Wales, with the judge setting the minimum term he must serve before he can be considered for release.

The verdict closes a case that has drawn attention to the danger posed by aggressive driving. Mr Smith was wearing a helmet when he was struck, and was taken to hospital with extensive head injuries. His death, three days after the collision, left three children without their father.

The David Morgan Norwich cyclist murder case also underlines how a brief road-rage incident can end in a murder conviction. The jury was asked to decide not whether the cars and bicycle came into contact — that was not in dispute — but why Morgan swerved. Its answer, after eight days of evidence, was that the act was deliberate.