Two in court over player's death

Published on Thursday 2 July 2009 21:51

TWO teenagers have appeared in court charged with causing the death of a talented young rugby player by dangerous driving.

Richard Wilkinson, 17, was killed in a car accident in the Borders on the way home from playing in a rugby sevens tournament.

His Hawick Wanderers team mate Sean Goodfellow and Murray McAllan appeared in private at Jedburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.

They made no plea or declaration to the charge. The crash happened on the A698 Kelso to Crailing road.

The case was continued for further examination and the two 18-year-olds, of Hawick, Roxburghshire, were both released on bail by Sheriff Jamie Gilmour.

Richard's home town of Hawick came to a standstill for his funeral service in April.

About 630 mourners, including former Scotland rugby coach Jim Telfer, attended the church service while hundreds more lined the streets to watch the 12-vehicle funeral procession.

Richard – whose grandfather, Doug Jackson, played for Scotland in the 1960s – had been playing for Hawick Wanderers in an under-18s rugby sevens tournament in Kelso.

He was a front-seat passenger in a Peugeot 306 car which crashed through a fence and landed on its roof on 4 April.

Three of his team mates escaped with cuts and bruises but Richard was pronounced dead at the scene.