Hit-and-run van driver gets 18 months for death of cyclist

A VAN driver was jailed for 18 months yesterday for causing the death of a cyclist in a hit-and-run accident. Ian Young’s wing mirror struck Allan Moir, 34, on the head and he was thrown off his bike and suffered fatal injuries.

After the collision, Young, 42, continued his journey home, and kept his involvement secret from his family.

Even when the widow of his victim made a media appeal for information, he refused to come forward. The police eventually traced Young and, after initially claiming he had an alibi, he confessed.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, the judge, Colin MacAulay, QC, told Young, a joiner, of Oxton, Berwickshire, that he accepted the dangerous driving in his case had been "a momentary lack of attention". There was no aggravation of drink or drugs, excessive speed or prolonged erratic driving.

Mr Moir, a father of three, of Kippielaw Road, Dalkeith, Midlothian, had worked as a quality control manager with a pharmaceutical company.

He was an experienced cyclist and at the time of the accident, about 5pm on 24 January last year, he was wearing a reflective jacket and a helmet. His bike had a rear flashing red light.

As he cycled downhill on the A68 at Lugton Brae, Dalkeith, a green Mercedes Vito van being driven by Young overtook him and drifted in towards the nearside and struck him.

Young told the jury at his trial that he simply had not seen the cyclist and thought he had clipped the kerb. When he noticed damage to his wing mirror, he feared he might have struck a person and was "too scared" to stop or go to the police. The jury convicted Young of causing Mr Moir’s death by dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice by lying to the police.

Defence solicitor-advocate, Alex Prentice, said the van had been travelling at 35-40mph, well within the speed limit.

The judge told Young that he took into account that he was a first offender and felt genuine remorse for causing Mr Moir’s death, but said he had no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.

Young was jailed for 15 months on the driving charge and a further three months for misleading the police. He was banned from driving for two years and ordered to resit the driving test.