Driver cleared of causing death of workmate near Lockerbie

A 35-year-old van driver has been acquitted in court of causing the death of his workmate by driving carelessly and crashing into the rear of a preceding lorry on the M74 near Lockerbie.

Graeme Brett, from Glasgow, was driving his workmate Paul Brown home early from their work in Carlisle when the collision took place near Junction 17 in August 2015 and told police that he could not remember anything after leaving a filling station.

Throughout a four day trial at Dumfries Sheriff Court, Brett had maintained a plea of not guilty to driving carelessly, failing to maintain a proper lookout ahead and driving into the rear of the lorry resulting in his passenger being so severely injured he died.

The court was told that the two men had been window fitting in Carlisle and had been heading north initially to Motherwell where the 52-year-old victim of the accident lived.

Brett had told the police: “Paul wanted to get home that day and we had left early.”

A jury returned a verdict of not proven.