Police Inspector banned from driving after knocking down cyclist near Alford

A police inspector has been banned from driving after knocking a colleague off his bike on a country road leaving him seriously injured on Christmas Eve.

David Howieson, 36, was on his way home from working a night shift in Aberdeen when his silver Renault Clio was involved in the collision with the bicycle on the A944 last year.

Howieson was driving in a heavy shower of sleet when he came across the push bike near the junction to the unclassified road of Mill of Bandley but failed to notice the cyclist in time.

The cyclist, a 28-year-old constable, was travelling home from the police station in nearby Alford and only realised the collision had happened after he woke up on the road in the recovery position at about 5:48am.

He was seriously injured and taken to Aberdeen Royal with a sore back and chest.

Howieson was later charged with careless driving and admitted the offence when he appeared at the city sheriff court yesterday.

Depute fiscal Marie Irvine said collision investigators carried out a reconstruction of the accident and it was their opinion that the car driver should have reacted to the presence of the cyclist earlier.

She said: "Even in the last three seconds when the pedal cycle was visible in the headlights they were of the opinion that there was still time to avoid the collision."

The court heard Christopher Williamson was taken to hospital with a fractured sternum and vertebrae and cuts on his face but was released the following day.

Ms Irvine added: "During the early hours of the 26th of December he began to suffer severe back pain in the lower abdomen and sickness and was readmitted to hospital where he was treated for bruising and the blockage of the intestines.

"He was released on the 28th of December."

Defence lawyer Les Green said his client was a police officer who had risen through the ranks to become an inspector and had no points on his licence or criminal convictions.

He said Howieson had obtained an advanced driving qualification through his employment and normally drove in a careful manner.

Mr Green said: "He had been on duty from about 8pm until 5am, he was based in Aberdeen making his way home to Alford on a road he drives every day once or twice a day."

The lawyer said his client was driving through heavy sleet at the time of the accident which was blowing sideways in the wind.

He said: "I met him for the first time yesterday and he was clearly very upset because of this, because of this accident.

"He has come into contact with Mr Williamson and he has visited him in hospital and he has seen him on a number of occasions since.

"It would appear that Mr Williamson is very sympathetic to my client, bears no grudge and is very understanding about what has happened given the conditions.

"He has made a full recovery. Mr Williamson is back involved in competitive cycling and is doing really well."

Mr Green added that his client was "clearly distraught" about the accident and had accepted counselling through his employment due to the effect it had on him.

He said: "It was an unfortunate accident for which the weather conditions played a significant part."

Sheriff Mungo Bovey told the city police inspector that the accident had the potential to have ended with a much more serious outcome.

He said: "It seems to me that this is at the more serious end of careless driving, that the hazards were obvious, you were familiar with the road and it would be obvious that weather conditions were deteriorating."

The sheriff disqualified the police officer from driving for eight months and fined him 670 pounds