Prosecution urges jury to convict Rangers' supporters' bus driver

A prosecutor urged a jury to convict bus driver Callum Phillips of causing the death of a Rangers fan by dangerous driving.

Phillips, 49, from Dalbeattie, who is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow denies killing 39-year-old Ryan Baird by dangerous driving at the Crossroads Roundabout, near Kilmarnock, on October 1, 2016

Mr Baird, from Sanquhar, Dumfries-shire, died at the scene from injures to his chest and abdomen. He and 36 fellow members of the Nith Valley Rangers supporters' club were travelling from Dumfries to Glasgow for a home match against Partick Thistle.

Richard Goddard in his closing speech to the jury said: “The bus came round the roundabout like a roller coaster and that was seconds before Ryan Baird lost his life.

“The right thing to do having heard al the evidence is to convict Callum Phillips of causing death by dangerous driving.”

Mr Goddard said that passengers on the bus spoke of Phillips' driving being 'fast and erratic' and said as they approached the roundabout they knew the bus was not going to make it.

The prosecutor told the jury that one passenger said that Phillips was “flying down the road with his foot down,” and added: “He was driving at 63mph for substantial periods of the journey and at one point reached 73mph.

“Callum Phillips chose to drive his coach at speedand erratically in a way which caused passengers to fear for their safety.”

In evidence Phillips claimed that the brakes were not working as he approached the roundabout, but Mr Goddard told the jury that experts who examined them found no defects.

Phillips also admitted in court that he had not looked at his speedometer throughout the journey from Dumfries up towards the roundabout.

Mr Goddard added: “When a roundabout is approaching and you are driving a bus with 37 passengers and don't know what speed you are doing it is a recipe for disaster.”

The prosecutor invited the jury to find that Phillips driving that day was below that expected of a competent and careful driver and to convict him.

The defence counsel for bus driver Callum Phillips accused of causing the death of a Rangers fan by dangerous driving invited the jury to acquit his client.

Simon Gilbride said one witness heard Phillips say he had no brakes and “I don't know why he would say it if it wasn't right”.

In his speech to the jury he said: “Is that not the very essence of the case? Why on earth would somebody say that if it wasn't true? If there wasn't something wrong with the brakes?”

Mr Gilbride said Phillips said that “as it was happening” and not for the first time when he spoke to the police or gave evidence in court.

Phillips denies the charge and the trial continues.