Andrew Carney jailed over death of Jaqueline Lyon in Aberdeen crash
- 18 October 2013
- From the section NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland
A man has been jailed for more than seven years for causing the death of a woman in an Aberdeen crash.
Andrew Carney, 25, from Stonehaven, admitted causing the death of 48-year-old Jaqueline Lyon at the city's Beach Esplanade on 27 August last year.
At the High Court in Glasgow the provisional driver was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison and banned from driving for 10 years.
Insp Ian Kirkwood said Carney's actions were "utterly reckless".
The court heard how Carney was driving at more than twice the speed limit before he lost control of his car on a bend and hit Mrs Lyon's BMW on the wrong side of the road.
He also admitted driving without a licence or insurance.
Carney got into the car with his friend after a row with his girlfriend before speeding in the atrocious weather that day, the court heard.
He overtook a number of concerned witnesses on the 30mph road. One witness had said "this is an accident waiting to happen".
He crossed on to the wrong lane at a bend and hit Mrs Lyon head on. She died at the scene.
Witness Lesley Nicolson told the court Carney had overtaken her at excessive speed. She said he drove so close she thought he might take her wing mirror off.
She had pulled over to phone the police and report the manner in which the Golf was being driven.
Witnesses described being "alarmed" at the speed at which Carney was driving, and most of them heard the car before they saw it.
Officers concluded that Carney was driving "well in excess" of the speed limit and overtook a number of cars in very wet conditions.
Calculations indicate that before reaching the bend, Carney had at one point been driving at about 53mph and at another point about 69mph.
Police said that given the speed, Mrs Lyon would have had little or no time to react.
Richard Freeman, defending, said Carney showed "genuine shock and remorse".
Judge Lord Turnbull told the 25-year-old: "Should any road user choose to drive in a reckless or dangerous manner they must take responsibility for the consequences of that decision."
He said that an innocent woman "in the prime of her life" was killed and that it was also a tragedy for her family left behind.
He added that an aggravating factor was the "atrocious weather".
Speaking after the sentence Mrs Lyon's husband Mark, 50, said: "I will be serving a longer sentence".
He described his wife as "quiet, very loving and very caring" and said his life and their daughter's life had changed "dramatically".
Insp Kirkwood, of Police Scotland, said: "The actions of Andrew Carney on 27 August 2012 were despicable and tragically led to the loss of an innocent life; inflicting indescribable grief on a loving, close-knit family.
"Andrew Carney was driving dangerously and at an inappropriate and excessive speed - one of the worst cases of its kind the city has seen."
He added: "We are pleased that our work to seek justice has not been in vain and that this man will now pay for the overwhelming heartache he has caused the family and friends of Jacqueline Lyon.
"The result today will not heal the terrible suffering her family have had to endure since that fateful day, but it can hopefully bring them some closure and help them slowly re-build their lives."