A speeding black cab driver avoided jail after he knocked down and killed an Eltham dad in front of his daughter while he was out celebrating his birthday.

Christopher Jones, 56, ploughed into 40-year-old Steven Beard as he crossed the road on Rochester Way in Eltham in the early hours of November 8, 2015.

Jones, who already had nine points on his licence, pleaded guilty yesterday (May 30) at the Old Bailey to causing death by careless driving.

He was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years, disqualified from driving for five years, and ordered to complete 30 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell told how Mr Beard's daughter, who is in her 20s, witnessed the death of her father while they were out celebrating his birthday.

Mr Beard was walking across Rochester Way at a leisurely pace when Jones' taxi crashed into him, sending him over the bonnet.

Jones, of Glenesk Road, Eltham, was on his way to work and was driving at about 40mph in the 30mph zone at the time of the collision.

Accident investigators found the victim would have been visible for about seven seconds and although he was wearing dark clothes and light-coloured shoes, the street was well lit.

Ms Newell said that a "careful and considerate" driver should have spotted Mr Beard within five seconds of impact.

Before the crash, Jones had accrued nine penalty points on his licence over five months and had failed to inform the DVLA he was diabetic.

On June 26, 2015, he was given three points after being caught speeding in a 30mph zone and was given three more points for the same violation the following month.

Then on September 11 2015, he was handed three more points for "failing to comply with traffic lights", the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Watts described the devastation of the whole family, including her daughter and two sons.

Mitigating, Karen Dempsey, said Jones was left "visibly shaken and distraught" by what happened and that he wished to offer his condolences to the bereaved family.

Jones, who is married with three children and two grandchildren, suffers from flashbacks and has no intention of getting back behind the wheel of a car again, she said.

Sentencing, Judge Christopher Moss QC said: "You don't need a lecture from me. You know what you did that night. You know perfectly well if you had been concentrating, Mr Beard would not have died.

"You were driving over the speed limit, although not hugely. Had you been concentrating and driving carefully, you would have seen Mr Beard and this tragedy would not have occurred."