A MAN who caused the death of a 67-year-old cyclist at a York roundabout has been warned he could face jail.

Derek Duffill suffered fatal head injuries when Coffey Rowan McGuffog’s pick-up truck knocked him off his cycle near his home. McGuffog had no licence and had obtained car insurance by twice deceiving financial companies.

On the day he was due to stand trial, McGuffog, 40, of Lilbourne Drive, Clifton, York, pleaded guilty to causing Mr Duffill’s death while driving without a licence. He had earlier admitted two charges of obtaining insurance by deception.

Judge Colin Burn said: “You should be aware your driving on those terms has resulted, without regard to the manner of your driving, in the death of someone else. One of the options the court will be bound to consider will be a custodial sentence of some form.”

McGuffog was released on bail and banned from driving until his sentencing hearing on November 8.

Mr Duffill, who lived off Green Lane, Clifton, was knocked off his bicycle at the mini roundabout at the junction of Green Lane, Rawcliffe Lane and Eastholme Drive at 10.25am on December 5, 2009. He was not wearing a cyclist’s helmet.

McGuffog was charged with causing his death by careless driving a few months later. Initial reports suggested the pick-up truck had been turning right into Rawcliffe Lane.

At York Crown Court, Tom Storey, prosecuting, said one of the eye-witnesses to the collision had given two differing accounts of what he saw.

After reading a report obtained by the defence from retired police accident investigator Michael Natt, the prosecution had decided not to press the careless driving charge. McGuffog then pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing Mr Duffill’s death while driving without a licence.

A charge of driving without insurance was dropped because the insurance company had not provided information that it had taken steps to invalidate the insurance it had issued.