CHANGES have been made to mountain bike races since the death of a spectator five years ago, a pre-inquest hearing has heard.

Judith Garrett (29) from Prudhoe was struck by a bike which careered off the course at Ty’n y Graig, near Llangollen, in North Wales, in August 2014.

Judith was the daughter of Bill and Lorna Garrett, who were both former mayors of Prudhoe.

She had been a spectator at the Borderline Downhill Series Mountain Biking race, watching her partner Peter Walton take part, when a bike careered off the course and hit her.

She was flown to University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke, but she died of head injuries the next day.

At Mold Crown Court last year, organiser Michael Marsden (42) was cleared of a charge of failing to conduct the event so people were not exposed to risk.

The British Cycling Federation (BCF), which sanctioned the race, was acquitted of failing to ensure the health and safety of people attending.

And race marshal Kevin Duckworth was found not guilty of failing to take reasonable care to ensure the health and safety of others.

A pre-inquest hearing was held on Wednesday in Ruthin, north Wales (east and central), where it was heard that changes had been made to mountain bike racing events since Judith’s death five years ago.

Barrister Prashant Popat QC, for the The British Cycling Federation, said there had been changes made including risk assessment procedures and training for organisers. He said they were not all directly linked to the incident in which Judith died, with some in progress beforehand.

The hearing was adjourned to a date which has not yet been fixed.