A father was unaware that he had hit his 18-month-old daughter when he reversed his BMW sports car while waving goodbye to his two other children, an inquest was told yesterday.

Angus Davison, a wealthy fruit grower, drove to work oblivious to the accident as his wife Beata, a paediatrician, tried to revive the girl on their kitchen table. He found out what had happened when he received a phone call from their Hungarian au pair.

Speaking at his daughter Greta's inquest, Mr Davison said that he had left the front door open because his older children, Finlay, 4, and Ariana, 7, were squabbling and in tears.

Greta is believed to have run through the open door and Mr Davison did not see her as he reversed around his wife's Toyota Landcruiser.

Clutching his wife's hand, Mr Davison, who was appointed MBE in 2002 for his services to agriculture, told the hearing: “I could see Finlay in tears and like a complete idiot I did not want to slam the door in his face. I left it ajar.

“I can only think that Greta was in the bedroom and that as I started the car she must have zipped through the door.

“I could see Finlay looking through the windows of the door crying, I was waving and did not have any perception of where Greta was. I presume she was coming out to say goodbye or running across to get her toys from the garage, but nobody knows. I went to work and got the telephone call. I did not have a clue anything had happened.”

The au pair, Gabriella Ferenczy, found Greta's body on the gravel driveway and carried her inside “floppy and pale”.

Dr Davison, who works at hospitals in Gloucestershire, told the inquest: “I was going back into the bathroom to pick up my bag when I heard Gabriella screaming. I went down and met her in the doorway. She had Greta in her arms. I could see her head had some blood on it and she was floppy and pale. I started resuscitating her.” Alan Paton, an accident investigator who examined the scene outside the family home near Ledbury, Herefordshire, in February, said all cars had blind spots and the reverse warning system fitted to the BMW could have missed a child of Greta's size.

Edmund Tapp, a pathologist, said that Greta died from a head injury. It is believed she was struck by a wheel of the car.

Detective Inspector Alan Mardell, the head of Herefordshire police's child protection unit, concluded that Greta was a very privileged girl from a loving family. He told the inquest in Hereford: “This was nothing more than a tragic accident.”

David Halpern, the coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death. He added: “It seems to me that everyone was doing the best they could in the circumstances. I do not think anyone could really place any blame on themselves.”

Mr Davison, who founded Haygrove Fruit Farms, pioneered polytunnels in Britain after renting a single field to grow strawberries under plastic as part of a university experiment more than 20 years ago. He has since built up an international polytunnel company and is credited with reviving the fortunes of the £200 million British soft fruit industry. His business has supplied Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• 6 reasons not to give gifts this Christmas
• Remembrance Day: All the lonely heroes