# Headteacher pleads guilty to cyclist injury

> London headteacher admits causing cyclist's broken wrist while driving.
- Title: Headteacher pleads guilty to cyclist injury · Dailymail
- Summary: London headteacher admits causing cyclist's broken wrist while driving. Catherine Hitchcock, headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School…
- Keywords: catherine hitchcock, donhead preparatory school, robert atkinson, wimbledon, london private school, driving without due care, news, entertainment, Headteacher, pleads, guilty, cyclist
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16136593/Headteacher-20-000-year-London-private-school-pleads-guilty-injuring-injuring-cyclist.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-17T09:02:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: catherine hitchcock, donhead preparatory school, robert atkinson, wimbledon, london private school, driving without due care, news, entertainment
## Headteacher pleads guilty
Catherine Hitchcock, 49, headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School, admitted to driving without due care.
## Cyclist injured
Robert Atkinson fractured his wrists after falling off his bike.
## Location
Accident occurred at Belvedere Grove mini roundabout in Wimbledon, south-west London.
## Date
February 10, 2026, when she pulled into the cyclist's path.
## How injury happened
She caused him to fall forward onto his handlebars without hitting his bike.
## School connection
She attended school previously attended by England rugby player Danny Cipriani.
## Other roles
She is also a governor of Putney High School.
## Driving history
She previously had a clean driving license and was fined £911 with five penalty points.
## Education
She studied geography at Oxford University and completed her PGCE.
## Career
She began teaching at Finchley Catholic High School in 1999.
## School tenure
She joined Donhead Preparatory School in 2015 and became headteacher in January 2024.
## Professional role
She works with the Independent Schools Inspectorate to inspect private schools.
## Legal plea
Her lawyer pleaded guilty on her behalf for driving without due care.
## Apology
She admitted the cyclist had the right of way and apologized for causing him to fall.
## Injury severity
The injuries were described as minor with a significant distance between car and cyclist.
## Correction
A previous version incorrectly stated she crashed into the cyclist.
## Key takeaway

Catherine Hitchcock, headmistress of £20,000-a-year Donhead Preparatory School, pleaded guilty to driving without due care after causing cyclist Robert Atkinson to fracture his wrists.