Teenagers jailed for road race which ended in death of young rugby player

TWO teenage drivers who caused the death of a talented young rugby player after they raced each other at more than 90mph along a country road were locked up for four-and-a-half years today.

Richard Wilkinson, 17, died of head injuries when the car he was a passenger in failed to negotiate a bend, overturned and ended up in a field in the Scottish Borders.

Mr Wilkinson was a highly-regarded member of Hawick Wanderers rugby club and had been playing in a sevens competition shortly before the crash on April 4 last year.

His teammate Sean Goodfellow – the driver of the car that crashed – and Murray McAllan, both 19, previously admitted dangerous driving on the A698 between Kelso and Crailing and causing the death of Mr Wilkinson.

The case was described by their defence lawyers as "awful" and "tragic" when they appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing today.

Temporary judge Kenneth MacIver sentenced Goodfellow and McAllan to four-and-a-half years' detention and banned them from driving for 12 years.

He told them: "To drive at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour on such a road is complete folly.

"To do so while engaging in a contest of speed, effectively a road race with another vehicle, is indescribably stupid and dangerous."

The judge said the case also raised questions about the "wisdom of allowing new drivers immediate, unrestricted and unconditional driving opportunity".

Referring to the impact of the crash on the victim's family, he said: "It is accepted that the collision was brought about by dangerous driving and it resulted in a tragedy, most significantly it led to the death of Richard Wilkinson whose valuable and treasured life was cut short at just 17 years of age.

"The impact of that on his parents, his brother and his sister has been enormous.

"Their grief and feeling of loss is obvious and immeasurable."

Following the hearing, Mr Wilkinson's family spoke of the "irreplacable hole" left in their lives but voiced hope that other young drivers will learn from the tragedy.

In a statement read out by PC Rory Campbell of Lothian and Borders Police, they said: "As Richard's parents, brother and sister, we cannot begin to put into words the loss we feel or the irreplacable hole that this has left in our lives.

"The outcome of the sentence bears no relation to the sentence we have already endured, or will continue to endure for the rest of our lives.

"If there could be one possible thing to come from losing Richard, we can only wish that young drivers learn from the devastating consequences of speeding and driving dangerously and the resultant loss of young lives.

"Richard gave so much in his short life. He was extremely popular and well-loved. He made an impact on so many that knew him and had so much more to live for."