Taxi driver accused of murdering amateur footballer to stand trial

Published 1st Mar 2021

A taxi driver will stand trial later this year charged with mowing down and murdering an amateur footballer.

Derek McClinton is accused of killing Craig Kearney in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire on March 5 2017.

Prosecutors claim McClinton hit the 24 year-old with his car, knocked him to the ground before driving over his head and body.

It is alleged the 49 year-old then failed to get medical help and left Craig lying injured on the road in the dark.

Craig – who had played for AFC Bonnyholm in Glasgow's Pollok – later died.

McClinton, also of East Kilbride, faces a separate charge of then attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The includes a claim he did “continue in the course of (his) employment as a private hire taxi driver” in the car afterwards.

This is said to have allowed “video footage” taken by a device in the vehicle to be erased.

The charge also states McClinton did wash the car in “an attempt to destroy evidence”.

McClinton - represented at the time by QC Donald Findlay - originally pleaded not guilty at a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow in February 2020.

A planned trial for October last year was postponed due to the pandemic.

McClinton had then been due to face trial this week, but the Crown Office today confirmed it has now been re-arranged for July.