A driver who killed a father of three has been found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Guy Wharton, 46, a science teacher at Tytherington High School, in Macclesfield, died after being knocked off his bike by a car driven by Philip Lea Christian, on the Cat and Fiddle, in June 2016.

Christian, 41, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving but was cleared of dangerous driving by a jury following a trial at Chester Crown Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Wharton’s wife, Francesca Wharton, 45, said it was incredibly difficult to sit through the evidence.

She said: “It is very disappointing that the driver has [pleaded guilty to careless driving] and nothing will ever bring back the father of my children.

“The trial was absolutely horrendous and incredibly difficult.

“I was very anxious and worried in the run up to it.

“It was very difficult to go through it all again. I was really scared about what the witnesses were going to say and hearing all the detail. I was supported by Guy’s brother, Mark, who flew over from Dublin and my cousin, Jo, who is like a sister to me and was with me throughout the trial.

“Guy had such a zest for life, was fit and healthy and loved teaching as well as his cycling and spending time with his family. It is still hard to believe at times he is no longer with us.”

Mrs Wharton says a cloud has been hanging over her and her family for almost two years.

She said: “It hasn’t been possible to move on and I still can’t put it behind me and move forward.

“I have just been focusing on giving my children the best life possible after their father was cruelly taken away from them.

“It has destroyed this family, we did not deserve this and Guy did not deserve this.”

But she says following Mr Wharton’s death she and her family received an ‘outpouring’ of emotion and saw first hand the impact that Guy had on his students.

Mrs Wharton said: “The support has been absolutely fantastic. We have received so much support from so many people, it is absolutely brilliant. There was such an outpouring of emotion. The amazing messages people sent, showing how well regarded he was and to know that he had helped so many people was really wonderful.”