Motorist ‘cocky’ before death crash, court hears

A YOUNG driver accused of causing the death of a 16-year-old boy in a crash was described by a friend as being “cocky” behind the wheel, a police sergeant told a court yesterday.

Grampian Police Sergeant Elaine Logue was giving evidence at the trial of Rhuaraidh Docherty, 20, who is accused of driving dangerously before a crash that killed his school friend, Joshua Wilkie.

The High Court in Aberdeen also heard a collision investigator claim that Docherty’s car would not have passed its MOT at the time of the Aberdeenshire crash and that parts of two tyres were bald.

Docherty is alleged to have failed to notice or react to a stationary Ford Fiesta in the road in front of him, in January 2009.

He was alleged to have lost control of his green Peugeot while driving at excessive speed and with defective tyres, crossed on to the opposite side of the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road at Huntly, and collided with a car being driven by Sandra Hendry.

His driving was alleged to have resulted in the severe injury and death of Joshua, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Docherty is further accused of driving dangerously earlier the same day, when he was said to have driven too close to a car his friend Aimi Stewart was driving and crossed on to the wrong side of the road into the face of an oncoming car in an attempt to overtake her.

Miss Stewart was said to have had to slam on the brakes to allow Docherty’s car back on to the correct side of the road to avoid a collision.

Sgt Logue said Miss Stewart had provided a witness statement following the later fatal collision, in which she said Docherty had been trying to “show off” during the first incident.

Advocate-depute Laura Thomson read part of the statement to the jury. She said: “I would describe Rhuaraidh’s driving at lunchtime as cocky. I think he was maybe showing off.”

Docherty, of Insch, Aberdeenshire, denies two counts of driving dangerously on 5 January, 2009.

The trial, before Lord Bannatyne, continues.