An air traffic controller at RAF Lossiemouth who caused a horrific crash on a Moray road has been allowed to keep his driving licence.
Ryan Adamson, who lives at the base, was fined £500 yesterday after he admitted driving without due care and attention by failing to pay proper attention to the road layout on the A941 Lossiemouth road.
The 25-year-old’s Vauxhall Signum crossed into the path of the Nissan Juke being driven by Katharine McLoughlin near the Spynie Palace junction on August 26, 2015 – leaving her “no time” to react.
Last night her family condemned the sentence after revealing the mum-of-two has been told she cannot have more children as a result of the injuries she sustained.
The serviceman had gone on trial charged with dangerous driving but admitted the lower charge following two days of evidence at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Adamson, who suffered collapsed lungs himself in the crash, had six penalty points added to his licence.
But Ms McLoughlin’s mother, Rosalyn Wie, called for a stronger penalty for causing the crash that continues to haunt her Lossiemouth daughter.
She said: “It’s very lenient. He should have lost his licence. If I could appeal for a stiffer sentence then I would. What’s £500? At the very least there should be a heavier fine to cover the cost of public money for the trial.”
Mrs Wie added: “Her injuries were quite severe. She had to have another operation nine weeks ago for mesh to be put into her stomach.
“She’s been told she can’t have any more children either. She already has two children and was considering having another one. Now it’s been taken out of her hands.”
Mrs Wie explained that despite her injuries, her 35-year-old daughter, whose two sons are 14 and seven, has recovered “reasonably quickly” with the support of her husband Ronan.
Adamson pleaded guilty to striking a verge which caused him to lose control of his car, resulting in him crossing into the opposing carriageway and into the path of the other car being driven by Ms McLoughlin and colliding with it.
The Aircraftman will now face a hearing from his superiors to determine whether any internal disciplinary action is necessary.
Defence advocate Tony Graham stressed the “quality of the driving” was relevant for the sentencing and not the “consequences”.
He said: “The deformation of the tarmac was substantial, a momentary lack of concentration has occurred, there’s a verge strike.
“We heard from an experienced traffic police officer with advanced training who said himself that he has encountered similar situations where he has struck a verge.”
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov said: “I consider the degree of careless error of judgement to be on the higher end of the scale with a momentary lapse of concentration caused by driving too close to the verge, causing you to strike it.
“Once that has happened there is nothing you could have done to regain control of the vehicle.”