A drink driver who was jailed after killing a Mull vet has launched a legal bid to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in France.
Thomas Wainwright was jailed for 12 years after Theresa Wade died when he crashed his hired Maserati into her vehicle at 68mph.
He was driving on the wrong side of the road when he careered into the 29-year-old’s van on the A849 near Craignure in 2015. He was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow in 2017 for 12 years.
The Scottish Government last year refused a request from Wainwright, 31, under the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 to transfer him to the custody of the French authorities.
However, he has now launched a petition for a judicial review against that decision at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. A full court hearing will take place in April.
The Scot, also banned from the roads for 15 years, has lived in France for most of his life.
Ms Wade’s partner, islander Charles Pease, has said he is against Wainwright’s plea and doesn’t believe anyone should “pander to his wishes”.
During his trial, the court heard how Wainwright, who worked as a first officer on a French yacht, had been downing cider and whisky for eight-and-a-half hours before the crash and was travelling at speeds up to 95mph.
After the conviction Miss Wade’s former colleague Jimmy Wilson spoke of her parents Trevor and Mary’s loss, describing her as a “super person” and said any sentence “wouldn’t be enough”.
Neither the Scottish Prison Service or Scottish Government can comment on the case as it is currently active before the courts.
