Speeding drug driver jailed after fatal crash in East Kilbride

He was also banned from driving for 10 years.

A speeding driver who was also under the influence of drugs has been jailed after a fatal crash in East Kilbride last year.

Hugh Steel, 39, drove onto a roundabout and hit another car in Cambuslang, East Kilbride, in November 2019.

Carol Georges, 62, a passenger in the other car, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her husband who was driving was seriously injured.

The crash occurred on the A749 near the Cathkin bypass

A blood sample showed that Mr Steel had taken diazepam, street valium, morphine and etizolam.

He pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving at the High Court in Edinburgh, and was sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Lord Uist.

This was increased to nine and a half years in light of an unexpired sentence given to Mr Steel in 2010 for assault with intent to rob, assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, and assault and robbery

In January 2019 he was also convicted of careless driving.

Lord Uist also banned Mr Steel from driving for 10 years.

Lord Uist said in his statement: “You drove while unfit after having consumed drugs, at an excessive speed and without keeping a proper lookout, failed to slow down on your approach to the roundabout, mounted a traffic island and drove straight onto the roundabout and collided with the car driven by Mr Georges, as a result of which he was seriously injured and Mrs Georges was killed.

“Mr Georges and the close family of Mrs Georges have been devastated by the death of Mrs Georges. Their victim statements make for heart-rending reading.”

Chief Inspector Darren Faulds from the Road Policing Division said: “By getting behind the wheel of a car while under the influence of drugs and driving dangerously, Hugh Steel has shown absolutely no regard for the safety of other road users. His actions have cruelly taken away an innocent member of the public from their family and friends.

“The consequences of driving dangerously and under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot be understated and there is no excuse for it. We all have a part to play to keep each other safe while using the roads. No family should have to lose a loved one because of the selfish and dangerous actions of another driver and cases like this highlight why you should never drink or drug drive.