A man who let his girlfriend drive whilst sitting on his knee has been convicted of causing the death of a pensioner by driving dangerously.
Kylie Johnston was learning how to drive while sitting on Nathaniel Cooper’s knee when the silver Daihatsu Terio they were travelling in spun out of control before careering into the side of a static caravan.
Unknown to the pair at the time, the car had also collided with 65-year-old Andrew MacKay who was on holiday at the East Balthangie Caravan Park.
As a result of the impact the retired plumber was trapped between the motor and the holiday home and died minutes after the crash as a result of the chest injuries he sustained.
Earlier this year Johnston, of Newbigging Drive, Stonehaven, admitted causing Mr MacKay’s death by driving dangerously on July 21, 2013.
She accepted that she had been controlling the steering wheel of the car as it crossed a grassy area and crashed through a fence on the site.
But she claims Cooper had also been in control of the vehicle in the moments leading up to the crash.
Last week Cooper went on trial at the High Court in Aberdeen also charged with causing Mr MacKay’s death by driving dangerously. It was alleged he was controlling the accelerator, brake and clutch at the time of the crash while Johnston operated the steering wheel.
He denied the charge against him.
This morning a jury of eight men and seven women found him guilty of the charge by majority.