A north-east aristocrat has apologised to the motorcyclist and pillion passenger he seriously injured in a crash.
Granville Gordon, the 13th Marquess of Huntly, has been banned and ordered to do unpaid work after seriously injuring a nurse and her biker husband in a horror crash involving his Porsche.
The 78-year-old claimed he “didn’t see” James and Mhairi Cameron’s motorbike on the A957 near Crathes when he pulled out of a junction in his blue SUV.
The couple were sent flying from their Triumph Sprint motorbike and needed surgery for a catalogue of broken bones following the incident on September 27 2020.
Their injuries caused Mrs Cameron, a nurse, to miss work for five months while her husband was unable to return to his job as a traffic technician at Angus Council for three months.
Apologised to victims in court
Appearing for sentence and representing himself in Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Gordon said he wishes to make “reparation” to the pair as well as give something back to society.
Gordon appeared on court papers as Granville Huntly and lives on the Aboyne Castle Estate and at an address in Hampshire.
He had previously pled not guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving but was convicted following a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last November.
Addressing Sheriff Eric Brown, he said: “I would like to make a plea because my family, children and grandchildren live in rural areas. My driving licence is very important to me.
“I would ask that you keep the ban on my driving to a minimum.
“I would also like to give back to society. I asked the social worker whether he felt it appropriate that I do community service in Hampshire, to which he felt very favourably.
“Thirdly, I very much want to make reparation to Mr Cameron who I knocked off his bicycle.
“I would like to do that in some way or another in whatever way the court felt appropriate.”
‘Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable’
Sheriff Brown said the driving involved was at the “lower end of the scale of the dangerous scale” but that the same could not be said for the injuries suffered by the Camerons.
He added the dangerous driving was not over a significant distance or period of time.
“However, as a holder of a motor vehicle licence, you will appreciate that motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable,” Sheriff Brown said.
“Its rider and passenger were both seriously injured. The nature and extent of their injuries are reflected in part by the fact the rider and passenger were off work for three and five months, respectively.”
He handed Gordon, who has an otherwise clean licence, a 12-month roads ban, the mandatory minimum for such a charge, and 120 hours of unpaid work.
The pensioner must also resit an extended driving test to regain his licence.
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