A 21-year-old woman who caused the death of her boyfriend of around three years in Fife has avoided prison.
Grace Ross, of Glenrothes, had been due to stand trial in June on a charge of causing the death, by dangerous driving, of Joshua Kerr, but shortly before the trial, she pled guilty to the charge of causing his death by careless driving.
At the time of the incident in May 2020 in Leslie, they were both 18-years-old.
Following his death, Joshua's family described him as “the perfect person” and that they "will forever love him”.
Meanwhile at the High Court in Edinburgh today, she was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for five years.
On sentencing her, Lord Braid said: "The terms of the charge to which you have pled guilty are that you drove without due care and attention and without reasonable consideration for other persons, in this case, Josh Kerr.
"You accept that you accelerated harshly uphill, performed a three-point turn at speed whilst in close proximity to Josh Kerr, then drove towards him whilst he was in close proximity to your vehicle when there was a lack of space to pass him safely.
"You failed to take evasive action, which would have been to stop your vehicle until you could have passed him safely.
"Instead, you caused your vehicle to collide with him and, tragically, he was pulled underneath your vehicle which then drove over his body and head with catastrophic and fatal consequences.
"Immediately you realised what had happened, you got out of your vehicle (which as a result collided with a fence) and went to Mr Kerr’s assistance.
"You promptly called the emergency services, and tried to administer first aid to Mr Kerr, but sadly that was to no avail and he died of his injuries.
"Victim Statements have been lodged by members of Mr Kerr’s family, which speak eloquently and movingly of the extent to which he was a much loved son, grandson and brother.
"His death has left a massive void in the lives of his family, which can never be filled, and no sentence that I can pass could possibly begin to address that void or to heal the pain caused.
"It should also be acknowledged that you had been in a relationship with Mr Kerr for some three years, since you were at school together, and he had lived with your family for 18 months.
"Understandably, his death and the manner of it have also had a severe and long-lasting impact on you.
"A psychological report lodged on your behalf discloses that you suffered from PTSD and mental health difficulties as a result of the incident and its aftermath."
Lord Braid's full statement is available to read on the Judicary of Scotland's website.
10°C
10°C
9°C