East Kilbride man escapes jail term after admitting death of biker
30 year old Graeme McLaughlin sentenced to 240 hours community work and banned from driving following crash in Perthshire
An East Kilbride man who caused the death of a 62-year-old biker in a head-on smash during an overtaking manoeuvre has escaped a jail sentence.
30 year old Graeme McLaughlin was told by judge Lord Armstrong: “This was not a deliberate course of bad driving, but negligence and momentary inattention on your part.”
The father-of-two was ordered to perform 240 hours unpaid work and banned from driving for four years.
As he left the dock he said to Lord Armstrong: “Thank you, my lord.”
The High Court in Glasgow heard that McLaughlin was so traumatised by the crash that he has not driven since.
Biker James Lambert suffered multiple fractures and died of massive blood loss after he was hit by McLaughlin's Ford Fiesta in the collision on the A822 between Muthill and Crieff on 11 July, 2014.
The former roofing safety advisor admitted causing Mr Lambert's death by careless driving.
He was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving before prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the reduced charge.
The court was told Mr Lambert's BMW motorcycle, which was coming in the opposite direction, was struck "full force" as McLaughlin overtook a Land Rover.
The force of the impact caused Mr Lambert's bike to fragment. He suffered fractures to his legs, ribs and spine and died from massive blood loss and shock.
The court heard that the driver of the Land Rover never saw the biker and police road safety experts thought this could be because of shadows from overhanging trees.
Mr Lambert suffered a broken hand in a previous accident on the same road three years earlier.
Defence counsel Tony Graham said: “Mr McLaughlin offers his apologies to the family of Mr McLaughlin. For the consequences of his actions on that day.
“Mr McLaughlin says that day will haunt him forever. On that day he was returning from work.”