Death crash driver keeps licence

From BBC Scotland homepage on 07/08/07… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6933735.stm

Death crash driver keeps licence.

The sheriff said he had to take into account the degree of carelessness A man who admitted causing a fatal crash which killed a motorcyclist has escaped a jail term and a driving ban. Richard Johnson, 22, came off his bike when Robert Buchan pulled out in front of him on the A935 Brechin to Montrose road last September. Arbroath Sheriff Court heard how Mr Johnson may have been travelling at up to 120mph. Buchan, 39, from Brechin, was fined £450 and given eight penalty points on his licence. The court heard how the crash happened as Mr Johnson overtook a line of traffic. He went into the back of Buchan’s car, which had edged into the centre of the road in an attempt to get past the queue. ‘Very tragic’ Buchan’s solicitor said he “just didn’t see the bike”. The driver behind Buchan estimated the bike had been travelling at 80-90mph. Another witness, a minister, told police he thought it was going as fast as 120mph. Buchan admitted driving carelessly and causing the accident but the sheriff decided not to send him to prison or suspend his driving licence. Sheriff Norrie Stein said: “This case is obviously a very tragic one as a young man died as a result of this accident. “You have pled guilty to careless driving and I have to take into account the degree of carelessness and leave out the tragic consequences.”