Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

North-east man sentenced for crash that killed disabled cousin

Scott Riddell was spared jail during an appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Scott Riddell was spared jail during an appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

A north-east man whose careless driving claimed his disabled cousin’s life has been spared jail.

Scott Riddell was on a day out with his “closest relative” when he lost control of his Audi S4 on June 18, 2016.

The 43-year-old crane operator’s car skidded from the A947 road between Banff and Turriff, ploughed through a field and wall and smashed into a house near Plaidy.

In the passenger seat was his cousin – said to have been “more like a brother” to him – who suffered fatal head injuries.

Riddell subsequently pleaded guilty to causing the accident which claimed the 58-year-old’s life.

During an appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Sheriff William Summers told him he would have to live with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.

He accepted the accident had resulted from a momentary lapse in judgement and placed Riddell on a community payback order, requiring him to carry out the maximum 300 hours of unpaid work, as a direct alternative to prison.

The sheriff also banned him from driving for two years.

In the wake of the judgement, Leslie Stuart’s family issued a statement in which they said they had been left with”mixed emotions”.

It read: “Everyone has been left heartbroken and in a state of turmoil following Leslie’s death.

“Leslie was a wonderful son and brother and an incredible friend to those around him.

“Nothing and no one will ever replace him – nor can any words describe the thoughts and emotions we are all experiencing.”

Mr Stuart, from Aberdeen, kept in poor health and was reliant on a wheelchair, having had his left leg amputated below the knee in 2013.

On the day of the accident, he and his cousin had visited a family grave at Fyvie and were just a few miles from their chosen destination for an evening meal, in Turriff, when they crashed.

Accident investigators calculated that the right-hand bend on which Riddell lost control could not be safely negotiated at more than 71mph.

He was said to have been travelling at about 75mph.

Riddell, of Shannocks View, Turriff, subsequently admitted driving carelessly by going at excessive speed.

The court heard the married dad-of-one’s “dearest wish” was that he could “turn back the clock to June 18, 2016” and that his apologies “for what they are worth” were “entirely genuine”.

Sheriff Summers said: “This illustrates once again the dangers of driving at excess speed.

“I extend the court’s condolences to Mr Stuart’s family.”