Thanh Nguyen sentenced over Lancelin crash that killed cyclist Alistair ‘Sid’ McLean

An inexperienced driver who fatally struck a beloved cyclist north of Perth when his vision was obscured by the sun has avoided an immediate jail term.

Lancelin local Alistair ‘Sid’ McLean, 51, was out for his usual morning ride on January 5 when he was hit by a Honda Jazz hatchback and sent crashing from his bike on Lancelin Rd, near the intersection of Old Ledge Point Rd.

McLean, a father of two, suffered a traumatic brain injury and died in Royal Perth Hospital the next day.

Thanh Nguyen’s lawyer said their client was an inexperienced driver who had held his Vietnamese licence for 13 months and had only arrived in Australia five weeks earlier.

The Perth Magistrates Court was told Nguyen, 30, had been driving up to 30km/h under the speed limit, that his vision was obscured by the sun, and that he veered left off the road to get more space between another driver when he struck McLean.

Appearing in court via video link on Monday, Nguyen’s licence was disqualified for one year and he was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 10 months.

It means he was free to leave custody but that he is facing more jail time if he offends any time in the next 10 months.

McLean’s family were visibly emotional from the back of the room as they listened to the prosecution detail McLean’s final moments.

His family previously described McLean, who had been preparing for a holiday in Japan, as “one of the best”.

“He was a loving, adventurous, kind, generous and fun-loving bloke to all that knew him and met him. He had an impact on so many, being so involved with each community he lived in,” his family said.

“We were so blessed to have you as a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew and friend and are forever grateful for all the adventures and laughs we shared.”