A woman whose Land Rover struck a man who had collapsed in the road, claimed she had to leave the scene of the accident before police arrived to protect her daughter.

Jennifer Rudnay, 56, of South Newington, near Banbury, denied driving without due care and attention, failing to stop after an accident, and failing to leave her contact details after an accident, at Wantage Magistrates Court on Friday (Sept 29).

Olivia Maginn, prosecuting, said Rudnay accidentally drove over Patrick Neville, 60, of Tadmarton Road, Bloxham, briefly stopped, then left to take her daughter to her flute class in Banbury.

Vanessa Stranz told the court she saw the accident on the A361 between Banbury and Bloxham on November 28, last year.

She said: "I saw a man's head bumping up and down on the tarmac and I saw very large wheels going over the top of his torso."

Sean Allen, who was in a van in front of Rudnay, swerved around Mr Neville but, in his rear view mirror, saw the lights of the Land Rover jump as it hit the body.

Rudnay said her daughter, Jennifer, 13, became hysterical when she saw Mr Neville's face spattered with blood.

Rudnay pulled the car over and comforted her daughter, who was in shock. She then checked on Mr Neville.

She said: "I thought the best thing would be to take Jennifer away from the scene. I felt that for her to be interrogated in a police car would be extremely traumatic ."

Ten minutes after the accident, Rudnay took her daughter to her flute teacher, then contacted police.

In a police statement, she said she had not seen the vehicles ahead of her swerve around the body. She decided not to swerve into the verge in case there were pedestrians.

Seamus Kearney, defending, said Rudnay had acted out of concern for her daughter when she was sure there was nothing she could do to help the injured man.

Rudnay was found guilty of driving without due care and attention, and failing to leave her contact details but acquitted of failing to stop.

Magistrate Wendy Roderick, said Mrs Rudnay should have seen the cars ahead of her swerve and taken evasive action, and she didn't stop long enough to enable anyone to take her name or address.

She was sentenced to £400 for each offence, ordered to pay £263 costs and five penalty points were put on her driving licence.