Drunk Driver Jailed For Fatal Aberdeenshire Crash

A BOOZED-up driver who caused a horror head-on crash in which a 20-year-old woman died, was today jailed for six and a half years.

At the High Court in Glasgow Stefan Lodge, 41, of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, pleaded guilty to driving dangerously at excess speed and causing the death of Nicole Clark on November 15, 2013, on the A98 Portsoy to Banff Road, near to Mill of Rettie, Aberdeenshire.

Judge Lord Turnbull also ordered draughtsman Lodge to be banned from driving for 10 years.

Lord Turnbull told Lodge: "The way in which you chose to drive that day was a deliberate choice. You were behaving without regard for other road users. You drove at excessive speed in an aggressive manner and ignored warning signs.

"Most likely your judgement was impaired be alcohol. Alcohol could be smelled on your breath emergency service workers at the scene.

"A young woman lost her life. The tragedy does not end with lose of life. The parents of Nicole Clark must live with their loss."

Lord Turnbull added that his sentence was no measure of the loss suffered by the Clark fasmily or the value of Miss Clark's life.

Advocate depute Murdoch McTaggart, prosecuting, told the court that Lodge drank two pints of lager at a pub in Turriff and then drove to a pub in Portsoy where he had another one or two pints.

Lodge downed the drink in three hours before heading to Banff with his then partner Kate Dyson as a passenger in his high-powered car.

Mr McTaggart said: "Shortly before 8pm Miss Clark's partner Michael Thomson received a text message from her. She said she was leaving home in Turriff to drive to meet him in his home town of Keith, Aberdeenshire.

"She said she was going to 'take it easy' as the roads, where she was, were 'slidy'."

The court heard that Lodge was driving a blue Volkswagen Golf R32 and Miss Clark a black Seat Leon.

Lodge was driving in excess of 70mph and Miss Lodge was driving around 50 mph when they collided head-on. Lodge's car was on the wrong side of the road.

Lodge lost control of his car on a left hand bend and witnesses described it as "skidding and drifting." One driver spoke of Lodge's car as travelling "extremely fast, way too fast for the bend."

Miss Lodge was trapped in her car, was unresponsive and had no pulse. She was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she was pronounced dead at 9.30pm. The cause of death was multiple severe injuries, primarily to the head, abdomen and legs.

The accused was trapped by the legs. The smell of alcohol on his breath was apparent to emergency service personnel who attended to him. He sustained several fractured ribs, punctures to both lungs and fractures to both legs.

Lodge's partner Miss Dyson had to undergo surgery and need metal implants put in fractures to her right ankle and left foot.

Mr McTaggart added: Whilst it is not possible to determine the effect on the accused of the consumption of alcohol, it is acknowledged that alcohol has an adverse effect on an individual's ability to drive, including judgement of speed and slower reaction times."

Nicole Clark worked as a document controller at an engineering firm in Huntly. She is survived by her parents and her sister who all live in Dubai where her father works in the oil industry.

Defence counsel for Lodge, David Moggach said: "He would not drive that way normally and is genuinely remorseful.

"He has asked me to read out a letter he has written. In it he says: "I wish to sincerely apologise for everything that has happened. I am so sorry."