The brother of a grandad struck by a car outside an Aberdeen pub has spoken of his devastation after the driver was cleared of murder.
Graeme Hardie suffered catastrophic, life-changing injuries after being struck by Michael Scott’s Skoda Octavia outside the Staging Post pub in Bucksburn on June 11 2018.
Scott stood trial and was found guilty of attempted murder over the incident in 2019, but tragically Mr Hardie, who was left needing round-the-clock care at the specialist Chaseley Trust home in Eastbourne, passed away on March 5 2020.
‘We were just devastated, to be honest’
Following the verdict, Ian Hardie, Graeme’s brother, spoke about the family’s devastation at the outcome.
Ian, who lives in the US and travelled back to Scotland for both trials, said: “We felt fairly confident. Most of the witnesses were the same so the evidence was pretty much the same.
“We thought the Crown case was pretty good, but we were told Brian McConnachie is the best defence lawyer in Scotland and so it proved.
“We were just devastated, to be honest.”
Ian said he and the rest of the family were left reeling by the not guilty verdict.
He said: “Having sat through the trial again, it’s obviously not the verdict we wanted. We’re still deeply saddened and surprised that it was a not guilty verdict.
‘Nothing is going to bring Graeme back’
“Murder is a very difficult thing to prove, and the judge did give the jury the second option of culpable homicide.
“While we weren’t sure he’d get found guilty of murder, we definitely thought we’d get at least culpable homicide.
“The last thing we expected was not guilty.
“I still can’t quite believe it now. I’m playing it back and playing it back in my head and it’s just unbelievable really.”
Ian had been at the Staging Post with Graeme on the day of the incident, having both attended their brother David’s funeral earlier in the day.
Having to suffer through two trials bringing the traumatic episode back into sharp focus has also taken its toll on Ian, with the stress even leading to him suffering a mini heart attack.
He said: “Nothing is going to bring Graeme back.
“It’s taken a physical and mental toll on me these last three years.
“The build-up to the trial in the last few months has been difficult with bad dreams, replaying back the funeral, replaying when I saw Graeme lying on the stretcher.
“I couldn’t recognise him because his head was so badly bruised and swollen. The only way I recognised him was from his tattoos. That’s been playing back in my head.
“I’ve been really anxious about what was going to happen and not sleeping.
“When I got back to the States after the first trial I ended up having what they said was a mini heart attack. They said it was stress-induced.
“I’ve had a couple of little instances since then and another one in the build-up to the trial. It’s all stress-related.
‘I just don’t think justice was done this time’
“The trial wasn’t as bad as the first time because I’d been through the evidence, I was expecting it.
“Some of the evidence, even though it was the second time around, it was difficult to hear all the details about the collision.
“I still play that back in my mind. It doesn’t go away.”
Scott was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment after being found guilty of attempted murder, and that conviction and sentence still stand despite the outcome of the murder trial.
It is understood Scott would not be able to appeal the attempted murder conviction now due to the time passed.
Ian said: “It’s surprising that two juries come up with two different things.
“The attempted murder conviction still stands. He’ll still do 12 years. Obviously, we were hoping for a different result but we fought the good fight and I don’t think I could go through another one.
“I just don’t think justice was done this time.
“At the end of the day, one jury did find him guilty of attempted murder, so we’ve got that. It’s some consolation at least.
“Hopefully we can get back home and just draw a line under things. I haven’t even grieved for David, that’s one of the worst things.
“David died back in 2018 but my focus has been so much on Graeme and making sure that he was cared for.
“I just want to see if I can put it behind me and just move on.”
‘Family came first with Graeme’
Ian described his brother as a kind and generous man who doted on his children and grandchildren.
He said: “Graeme was always a mummy’s boy. He was the youngest of the three.
“He came over as a tough guy but underneath that mask that he wore he was a big softie at heart. He would always do things for anybody else.
“He was a devoted son to my mum and when I moved to the States he took over looking after her and visiting her two or three times a week.
“He was the kind of guy that would go and get shopping and groceries for some of the elderly folks around and looked in on the older neighbours to make sure they were fine.
“He loved his fishing and nature programmes.
“Family came first with Graeme. I really miss the calls at 3am. One thing Graeme never got used to was the time difference between the States.
“He was a doting grandad. He doted on his three kids and he’s got five grandchildren. It’s taken its toll on them as well.
“His kids are still finding it really tough, especially with this last verdict. They’re finding it difficult to accept.”
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