Innerleithen fatal crash driver who tried to blame victim jailed

A driver who killed a motorcyclist then tried to blame his victim for the crash has been jailed for 12 years.

Andrew Taylor, 48, drove head-on into Brian Wilson, 60, on the A72 near Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders on 23 April 2022.

He admitted a charge of causing death by dangerous driving while unfit due to a number of drugs including cocaine.

At the High Court in Glasgow , Lord Arthurson said he did not accept Taylor was "remorseful at all".

The court had previously heard that Taylor, of Galashiels, had been so heavily under the influence of drugs that he had fallen asleep in the back of an ambulance after the fatal crash.

He initially claimed he had been on the correct side of the road and that Mr Wilson's bike had crossed over and hit him.

On sentencing, Lord Arthurson said Taylor had made "wholly inappropriate and scurrilous" comments about Mr Wilson's relatives.

The judge added he had "doubled down" by "further victim blaming" in a pre-sentencing report.

He said Taylor had proceeded "yet again" to blame Mr Wilson, from Newtongrange, for causing the collision.

"In my view, you outrageously made the appalling suggestion that his family were financially motivated," he said.

"The author of the report describes your attitude to the consequences of your actions as blasé and questioned the authenticity of your apparently stated remorse."

Lord Arthurson gave no discount for the guilty plea for a number of reasons including Taylor's conduct and for failing to turn up for an earlier court date.

He was also banned from driving for 16 years.

A family statement, released through Digby Brown Solicitors, said the fact that Taylor had tried to blame Mr Wilson was "objectively despicable".

"He should never have been behind the wheel," it said.

"He showed indifference to Brian's death by falling asleep. And he exploited the court process to prolong his liberty.

"This man ripped a family apart yet he doesn't seem to care - to not hold such a man accountable to the fullest extent possible would simply fly in the face of human decency."

It said the judge had promised a "substantial custodial sentence" and welcomed the 12-year jail term.

Ch Insp Mark Patterson said the sentence could never reflect the "devastating impact" Mr Wilson's death had had on his family and friends.

"Drivers are responsible for their actions and the risks they take have lasting consequences," he added.