A man has been convicted of dangerous driving after a horror crash that paralysed a young Ellon woman.
Gavin Coull drove his black BMW at high speed into the back of a Fiesta being driven by Callum McIntyre causing it to smash through crash barriers and tumble onto a grassy embankment off the A90.
Mr McIntyre’s then-girlfriend Ellen Stickle, 27, was a passenger in the Fiesta and was instantly paralysed from the neck down.
Coull, 32, had denied the charges and tried to blame his passenger Jamie Dingwall, but the jury of nine men and six women took just over an hour to find him guilty of causing the crash.
‘He tells lie upon lie’
Fiscal depute Ruairidh McAllister urged the jury at Peterhead Sheriff Court to convict Coull, who he said had told “lie upon lie” in a “desperate attempt to avoid responsibility for the damage caused that night”.
He told the jury that Coull had tried to blame Jamie Dingwall for the crash after he realised the consequences of his actions, adding: “His story changes if there is anything that puts him in a bad light.
“He tells lie upon lie – lies that are at odds with the evidence that we have heard.
“He wants us to believe that he was scared of Jamie Dingwall, and he was telling him to slow down – poor terrified Gavin Coull.
“Yet he uploaded a video minutes before the impact with the caption ‘burning the midnight oil’. It’s not exactly a cry for help – it doesn’t tie in.”
Mr McAllister was referencing the Snapchat video uploaded by Coull which shows the speedo of his car reaching 100 mph – and a male voice, identified by police as being that of his passenger Jamie Dingwall saying “that’s a hundred”, “are you topping that” and “show me the moves bruv”.
Mr McAllister said: “The context of those phrases would suggest it was said by a passenger to the driver.”
‘Her life changed in a split second’
Former care home worker Miss Stickle was in the public gallery with friends and family as the verdict was read out and cries of relief could be heard from them all.
Coull sat unmoved in the dock as his defence solicitor Sam Milligan asked for his bail to be continued, referring to his two children and full-time employment.
Sheriff Philip Mann said Miss Stickle had suffered “catastrophic” injuries and commended her for her bravery and courage when giving her evidence to the court.
He noted that she had been in court daily to watch the proceedings with her family and friends.
“Her life changed in a split second,” he continued. “She has shown remarkable bravery in adverse conditions and yet it was quite obvious to me she still manages to smile.
“I celebrate that this young lady did not lose everything.
“It is good to see she can still get enjoyment out of life,” Sheriff Mann continued before turning to Coull. “No thanks to you.”
‘Running had been my life’
Coull’s black BMW smashed into the back of the Fiesta Ellen on the A90 Ellon to Aberdeen southbound carriageway at around 10.20pm on March 11, 2021.
She had told the court how the crash had changed everything and spoke of her sense of loss now that her previously sporty lifestyle was cut short.
“Running had been my life,” she said.
Coull was convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and of driving while unfit through drink or drugs. Hours after the crash a blood sample taken from Coull showed he had a cocktail of drugs in his system.
Sheriff Mann warned Coull that a custodial sentence was likely and ordered him to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court next month for sentencing.
Coull was banned from holding a driving licence in the meantime.