A motorist who was driving dangerously moments before another driver lost his life in an accident has been fined £300.
Arran MacRae, 21, told a court that he was now petrified of being on the road after the January 2016 incident which claimed the life of Angus Plowman.
MacRae, of Buchanan Court, Dingwall stood trial at the High Court in Edinburgh and had denied causing Mr Plowman’s death on January 4 that year by driving dangerously.
Prosecutors had alleged that he pursued Mr Plowman in his car on the A832 road near Avoch in Ross-shire and engaged in a race with him.
MacRae was alleged to have overtaken Mr Plowman at excessive speed and collided with his vehicle causing them to both lose control of their cars.
But following a legal debate during a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, the Crown accepted MacRae’s guilty plea to a charge of driving dangerously at excessive speed and too close to the rear of Mr Plowman’s vehicle.
Prosecutors accepted the plea from MacRae because the evidence available to the court showed that it couldn’t be proven that the accused’s driving directly caused Mr Plowman’s death.
Yesterday, at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Glennie also banned MacRae from driving for 18 months.
The judge told MacRae that he avoided jail because of the fact that the evidence showed that he didn’t directly cause Mr Plowman’s death.
Passing sentence, Lord Glennie told MacRae: “There was no evidence to link your dangerous driving to the accident.
“Nonetheless your driving was well below the applicable and acceptable standard of driving which is required on the road. Your speed was in excess of the limit for the road.
“What happened was a tragedy but there is no evidence that your driving causing the death of Mr Plowman.
“I bear in mind the obvious contrition that you have shown and the fact that you have not driven since the incident. I hope this remorse will keep you on the straight and narrow.
“I am persuaded in this case that a custodial disposal is not an appropriate way to proceed and would not be competent in this case.”
MacRae pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving charge last year and sentence was deferred.
At that time, the court heard how MacRae was driving with his girlfriend and two vehicles were initially ahead of him, a black VW Golf which was driven by Mr Plowman, 20, from Fortrose and a pick up.
On a straight section of the road, the Golf overtook the other vehicle and he followed a few seconds later.
But he said he had to take action when the driver of the car in front put his brakes on. He said: “It all happened so fast. I had to move out on the east travelling lane to try to avoid him.”
MacRae’s lawyer Barry Smith said: “He will continue to feel the weight of his involvement in the incident which resulted in the death of another young man.”
