A teenager who caused a car crash that killed his 16-year-old best friend has avoided being locked up but is banned from driving.
New driver Connor Lawless had been driving at “excessive speeds” in the moments before he caused a three-vehicle crash on the A9 near North Kessock outside Inverness.
His best friend Gregor McIntosh, who was a front seat passenger in Lawless’ Vauxhall Corsa, suffered fatal injuries in the collisions and later died at Raigmore Hospital.
Lawless, 20, had only had his licence for five months at the time of the crash on December 20 2019.
He was spared a custodial sentence and instead handed a five-year ban from getting behind the wheel.
Court told of horror crash
An earlier hearing was told how Lawless had picked up his friend at around 6pm on December 20 2019, before driving his Vauxhall Corsa north on the A9.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Lawless, who was 17 at the time, was driving at excessive speed for the circumstances on the A9.
He failed to comply with road signs and to use a designated filter lane for vehicles turning right and was struck by a Nissan Juke behind him when he braked heavily.
Lawless then drove onto the southbound carriageway and collided with a Volkswagen Polo being driven by Alexandrina Bain.
She was unable to avoid the crash, which ultimately killed Gregor McIntosh.
Victim was “one-of-a-kind”
At the time, the popular teenager was described as “one-of-a-kind” by his friends and the wider community.
A fundraising page set up by friends raised more than £5,000 in a matter of days and heartbroken mourners said the “world became a darker place” after Gregor’s death.
Prosecutor Stephanie Ross said: “Gregor McIntosh was 16 at the time and was the best friend of Lawless.”
She added that Gregor lived at home with his parents and sister and was training to be a carpenter and joiner.
Admitted a reduced charge
Lawless was originally charged with causing his death by dangerous driving.
But after the Crown amended the charges Lawless admitted causing his friend’s death by driving without due care and attention.
The prosecutor told the court that Lawless was an apprentice engineer and added: “He obtained his driving licence on July 8 in 2019, five months before the collision, and was therefore classed as a new driver.”
She said on the day of the crashes Lawless had picked up his friend from his home at about 6pm.
He was driving north as they approached the junction with the B9161 Munlochy junction with other cars following.
Drivers had to take ‘evasive action’
Ms Ross said: “Northbound traffic wishing to turn from the A9 onto the B9161 must enter a right turn filter lane to the offside of the carriageway; said filter lane is 250 metres long.
“There is an advanced turning sign to the nearside of the northbound carriageway in advance of the filter lane and then a second sign as you approach the filter lane. There is then signage at the turning itself.”
She told the court that at the start of the filter lane there was no indication from the Corsa driver that he was intending to turn right, but he subsequently braked sharply with no prior warning.
Following motorists saw the Juke being driven by Thomson also brake sharply and steer to the offside in a bid to avoid the Corsa, but it collided with the car driven by Lawless.
Other drivers also had to take evasive action.
After the Corsa was struck it continued in an arc crossing into the southbound lane before it was struck by the Polo driven by Alexandrina Bain, then aged 77, who suffered fractures in the crash.
Ms Ross said: “She was driving at around 60mph when the Corsa came out in front of her from the junction without warning. She was unable to avoid colliding with the Corsa”.
Another driver also sentenced
Judge Lord Richardson made Lawless, of Culduthel Mains Gardens, Inverness, subject to a two-year community payback order and banned him from the road for five years.
The driver of the Nissan Juke involved in the first collision, 50-year-old rail signaller Stuart Thomson, was unable to avoid hitting the Corsa as he was travelling too close to Lawless.
He pled guilty to a much-reduced charge of driving carelessly by driving at excessive speed in the circumstances and failing to maintain a safe distance.
The court heard the collision between the vehicles played no part in the second crash and Thomson, of Fairmuir Road, Muir of Ord in the Highlands, was admonished after he pled guilty to careless driving.
He had five penalty points added to his licence.
Death prompted road safety calls
Local campaigners have since sought talks and the introduction of enhanced road safety measures following Gregor’s death.
The A9’s now notorious Munlochy junction has been identified as a key target for improvement following the devastating crash.
The 50-year-old driver of a Stagecoach bus was killed in the same area in January 2019 as it struck a bridge and overturned.
And in July 2018, a motorcyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries after colliding with a tourist camper van around five miles north, on the A9 near Culbokie.
In light of the accidents, Kate Forbes MSP renewed calls for a road safety summit with representatives of the local community and Transport Scotland.