A man who was accused of causing the death of a motorcyclist on the A3 near Esher has been cleared.

Grenville Harding, 56, from Reading, was found not guilty by a jury at Guildford Crown Court on November 19 for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.

Mr Harding had been involved in a crash with Christopher Webb, 31, who had been riding his motorcycle on December 18, 2013, along the Esher stretch of the A3.

He had been knocked from his bike in heavy rain after he collided with Mr Harding’s car, before being fatally struck by another vehicle on the southbound carriage just before the Painshill junction.

The court heard how Mr Webb had only recently passed his motorcycle test just two weeks before the crash.

Judge Robert Fraser noted that the conditions would have been challenging for Mr Webb, and that Mr Harding had not been involved in a crash in his 35 years of driving, as well as being experienced with riding motorcycles himself.

Mr Harding had said he had completed all the necessary checks before changing lanes.

The jury found Mr Harding not guilty after a four-day trial, during which he denied causing Mr Webb’s death through careless or inconsiderate driving.

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