A CYCLIST who knocked down a four-year-old Dunfermline boy in a pedestrian zone has been jailed.

Matteo Carlucci had been on his way to visit Legoland in Windsor when Richard Manners, 21, sped down the road and crashed into him, causing serious injuries.

The horrific collision, that his father said "could have killed my son", saw the little boy trapped in the cycle's front wheel as he was hurled into a traffic bollard.

Manners had sped past Matteo's parents, Davide Carlucci and Stella Watson, with a "whoosh". They shouted after their son who was walking ahead but it was too late.

The boy was bowled over, suffering a broken arm and friction burns all down his face. A tooth was also knocked out in the impact.

The cyclist appeared in the dock at Reading Crown Court last week where he admitted a charge of causing bodily harm by wilful misconduct on March 31 last year.

He was jailed for seven weeks by the judge who told him: "This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified."

The court was told Matteo had been rushed to hospital in excruciating pain, shouting "mummy, my arm, my arm", after the sudden collision which took place in a cycle-free zone.

He was left with life changing injuries and a dent in his head due to permanent muscle damage. Matteo now has a fear of people riding bikes.

In a victim impact statement, his mum said: "He was in so much pain, he kept screaming."

Miss Watson added that other children would often stare at her son's swollen head, broken arm and missing tooth when they walked in public after his release from hospital.

She said Matteo still had sleepless nights and had pleaded with her to keep the crash a secret, saying: "Do not tell them about the man on the bike."

She added: "We saw a bike on the road the other day and he got such a start that he started crying uncontrollably. As a mother I have seen my child suffer in so many ways. His fear has built up after this incident."

Manners was challenged by the boy's father after the crash but he ran away.

After the verdict, Mr Carlucci said: "He could have killed my son. It was only luck that this wasn't a tragedy, nothing else.

"He has to pay for it because it could have been so much worse, I was so worried, but I trust the judge's decision."

He recalled: "Everything happened in a second. We were just walking down the street and then Manners came out of nowhere like a rocket on his bike.

"In my eyes he did absolutely nothing to avoid the crash and at first I thought the worst, I thought he'd killed my son, but then I heard Matteo cry out. I was so worried."

He explained that the family did eventually make it to the theme park, after two days spent in hospital with their injured son, but the holiday was ruined.

Defence barrister Amer Asghar said that Manners had seen the little boy walking ahead of him and had shouted out "Watch!" before they collided.

Despite leaving the scene shortly after the collision, Manners had walked into the police station 15 minutes later to tell them what happened.

Mr Ashgar said: "He is not here to explain what went wrong but he is here to say sorry to the mother, the father and of course, young Matteo.

"He is himself the stepfather of two young children aged two and five years. He has been brought up in a care home environment throughout the majority of his young years. He had no family to support him.

"Whilst young Matteo may see what was described as a bad man on a bike, Mr Manners is clearly remorseful to how he failed to make that turn.

"He knows he is going to prison today. He has brought his belongings with him and said goodbye to the young children. What happened on that fateful evening is certainly something he will never be able to forget."