Christie branded careless driver

22/07/11
By Helen James

He might be the owner of an Olympic gold medal but Linford Christie had to go to court just like anyone else accused of breaking the law after driving on the wrong side of the road.

The former 100m sprinter has been cleared of dangerous driving but the jury found him guilty of a lesser charge - careless driving - after causing a head-on crash.

The 51-year-old should be treated like "any other person", Judge Francis Sheridan told the jury before they made their decisions.

Aylesbury Crown Court heard Christie - of Sherland Road, Twickenham, west London - had driven on the wrong side of the main road for about 200 yards before he hit a taxi carrying a couple who had just married. The two cars were badly damaged and debris was scattered over the road.

He told the Buckinghamshire court that he thought he was "going to die" in the late night smash. He said: "I accept that it was my fault. I was driving along and I saw the car headlights and I thought he was on the wrong side of the road, and then I realised I was, and then I tried to turn."