Driver guilty of causing friend’s death

Published on 26/01/2013 01:45

AN OIL worker was yesterday found guilty of causing his friend’s death by driving carelessly on a country road in his Porsche.

Douglas Calder, 38, was driving his sports car when it crashed, killing his friend ­William Webber.

Mr Webber, 36, died after the car hit a drystone dyke a short distance away from his home at a farm in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, on 15 April, 2011.

Calder, of Andorra, was charged with causing Mr ­Webber’s death by dangerous driving. However, he was found guilty of a lesser charge ­yesterday following a three-day trial at the High Court in ­Aberdeen.

The jury of eight men and seven women took just under three hours to reach its majority verdict. Judge Lord Stewart, described it as a “horrible and tragic case”.

Sentence was yesterday ­deferred until 22 February at the High Court in Edinburgh.