The headteacher of a top London private school has pleaded guilty of driving without due care following an incident which left a cyclist with a broken wrist.
Catherine Hitchcock, 49, caused cyclist Robert Atkinson to fracture both of his wrists after pulling into his path at a mini roundabout on Belvedere Grove in Wimbledon on February 10.
The headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School did not hit the cyclist with her car, Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court heard, but did cause him to fall off his bike, sustaining his injury.
The incident took place in Wimbledon Village, between her school and her £1.8million house.
Ms Hitchcock, who is also a governor of Putney High School, did not attend the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, with her lawyer pleading guilty on her behalf.
He said she admitted Mr Atkinson had the right of way and she apologised for causing him to fall off his bike.
The headmistress previously had a clean licence, and was fined £911 and handed five penalty points.
Catherine Hitchcock began her career at Finchley Catholic High School in 1999 as a geography teacher, and joined Donhead Preparatory School in 2015 as Assistant Headteacher.
She became headteacher of the school, which counts actor Tom Holland and England rugby player Danny Cipriani as former pupils, in January 2024.
She has also acted as governor for a number of private schools in the capital, and works with the Independent Schools Inspectorate, a Department for Education body to inspect private schools.
