A teenager could be locked up after being found guilty of killing a father-of-four by driving too fast around a north-east town.
Care worker Shari Dunbar had only passed her test a few months before she knocked down Nuno Barbar on Castle Street, Fraserburgh.
The 45-year-old, who had moved to the north-east with his family from Portugal, was so badly injured he died four days later at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, Dunbar was found guilty of causing Mr Barbar’s death by driving dangerously, going at excessive speeds for the road conditions and failing to observe the give way signs at the junction of the town’s Bath Street and Castle Street on September 3, 2015.
The 19-year-old also failed to slow down as she negotiated the junction, and failed to keep control of her Seat Ibiza.
The first offender then struck fish factory worker Mr Barbara, who suffered head and chest injuries.
The jury took just three hours to return a guilty verdict, after hearing that Dunbar had been “showing off” to impress her ex-boyfriend after noticing him behind her.
After the verdict, advocate depute Iain McSporran told the court his widow was now raising her four children by herself.
He said Mr Barbara had come to Scotland looking for work, and that his family followed him to Fraserburgh in 2015.
Mr McSporran said: “They were settling into life in Scotland and they were making plans for their lives here.
“His children were attending school and his other children were going to attend college.
“However, these plans no longer exist.
“Mrs Barbara is now a widow who has bring up the family by herself.”
Judge Lord Kinclaven allowed Dunbar, of Murison Drive, Rosehearty, to remain on bail while background reports are compiled before sentencing.
But he told her: “You should be under no illusion that all disposals – including custody – are available to me.
“It is critically important that you co-operate with the preparation of social inquiry reports.”
Her defence advocate, Derick Nelson, told the court his client understood what could happen to her.
At the start of proceedings on Monday, Dunbar tried to plead guilty to a reduced charge of causing death by careless driving – but prosecutors refused to accept the plea saying it was “unacceptable.”
She admitted she had struck Mr Barbara with the car, but the court heard she had told officers she was trying to get away from ex-boyfriend Alister Wisely, who she claimed was driving aggressively.
Dunbar’s claims about being harassed by Mr Wisely was investigated by police. After an investigation, they found there was no evidence that Mr Wisely had done anything wrong.
Dunbar was then charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by making false statements about her former boyfriend’s driving.
However, prosecutors dropped the charge at the conclusion of the Crown case.
Dunbar will be sentenced at the High Court in Livingston on September 7.
