A Romanian bodybuilder from Paddington has appeared in court accused of mowing down and killing a young gardener in a £120,000 Bentley.

George Claudiu Albu, 31, of Porchester Road, allegedly fled the scene after hitting 23-year-old Christopher Jones in Notting Hill on Thursday night.

Mr Jones, who worked for the landscaping firm Quadron, was directing traffic around his broken down truck at the time of the collision in Pembridge Villas, Hammersmith Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

It is claimed police had spoken to Mr Jones earlier that night and were satisfied that he was wearing a high-visibility jacket and was standing in a well-lit area.

The Bentley Continental collided with Mr Jones and his vehicle at 11.50pm and he was pronounced dead at the scene at around one 1am.

Albu appeared in court charged with death by dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.

He spoke only to confirm his name, age, and address and was remanded in custody until a preliminary hearing at Southwark Crown Court on August 25 .