A pedestrian whose actions led to the death of a 77-year-old cyclist has failed in a bid to appeal her prison sentence.

Auriol Grey, 49, shouted an expletive and gestured in an "aggressive way" towards Celia Ward, who then fell into the path of a car on Huntingdon ring-road in 2020.

In March, Grey, of Bradbury Place, Huntingdon was jailed for three years after being convicted of manslaughter.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed her application for leave to appeal.

The court heard the two women passed each other in opposite directions on the pavement during the afternoon of October 20.

In CCTV footage, Grey could clearly be heard shouting at Mrs Ward, a retired midwife, to "get off the pavement".

Mrs Ward then "collided" with Grey and fell into the road, where she was hit by a car.

Her legal team had sought for her sentence to be reduced and suspended.

The Court of Appeal in London heard that, after she was jailed, a psychologist - in a report paid for by Grey's family - diagnosed her with autism.

Miranda Moore KC, representing Grey, who has cerebral palsy and is partially blind, argued that the sentence was "excessive" and the diagnosis may have made a difference in her case.

She had argued the sentencing judge had made findings of fact against evidence, stating it "came as something of a shock" he found the pavement to be a shared cycleway, despite the local council being unable to confirm that.

But Mr Justice Griffiths, sitting with Lord Justice William Davis and Judge Neil Flewitt, refused to grant permission for Grey to appeal against her sentence, concluding it was "not arguably manifestly excessive".

Mr Justice Griffiths said: "A blameless woman had been killed by the unlawful act of [Grey] with devastating impact upon the family she left behind and upon others including the entirely blameless driver of the car."

He told the court the sentence passed "had to mark the gravity of the unlawful killing" while taking into account mitigating factors.

The sentencing judge Sean Enright had "placed very strong emphasis" on Grey's disabilities, he said.

He added: "We do not consider that the recent psychology report calls for a greater reduction than was already given in this respect by the judge."