I wanted some justice for mum .. this isn’t it
Son slams law lord’s decision not to jail ‘careless’ driver
THE family of an 82-year-old gran who died on board a bus after the driver slammed on his brakes last night hit out after he dodged a jail term.
Elizabeth Colville was “catapulted” from her seat and suffered fatal head and back injuries after her body collided with driver Michael Gillespie’s compartment. Gillespie, 35, was ordered to carry out 234 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to causing Elizabeth’s death. The horrifying incident in April 2019 was witnessed by Elizabeth’s then 17-year-old granddaughter Abby. Her son Chris Colville, 48, has slammed Gillespie’s sentence and says it has caused him to “lose all hope in the justice system”.
He added: “We are all gutted – it’s a disgrace. Community service for killing someone?
“I’m glad I didn’t go to court. I wanted some justice for my mum and this isn’t it.”
Elizabeth was travelling with Abby to Glenrothes when Gillespie failed to give way to an oncoming car as he overtook parked vehicles in Freuchie. As he sped past stationary vehicles on the town’s High Street, a motorist coming the other way forced him to slam on the brakes.
Elizabeth’s family say she was resuscitated twice at the scene and three times on the way to Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
They made the difficult decision to switch off life support three days later. Tragedy struck for the family again later that year as Elizabeth’s sons Chris, Tim and John lost their dad, Dave, who they say was “never the same” after losing his wife.
Gillespie’s reckless actions have also had a severe impact on Abby, now 20. Her family believe the trauma of the trial affected her so badly that she gave birth to her daughter Leah six weeks early in March.
Chris added: “Abby and my mum were really close. They were more like mother and daughter as we lost Abby’s mum the day before her first birthday.
“What happened on the bus really messed her head about. She wasn’t herself at all.
“Abby totally withdrew into herself and wasn’t OK for a good while.
“She’s not quite back to her old self yet either. The trial brought everything back to the surface.”
A trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that the Moffat & Williamson driver Gillespie had been speeding at 26mph, in excess of the 20mph limit, while driving his route on April 8, 2019.
The court heard he had brought the bus to a complete stop from about 25mph in just four seconds.
Sentencing Gillespie earlier this week Lord Richardson said: “I acknowledge that at the time you immediately contacted emergency services to assist the passenger who had been injured.
Community service for killing someone? CHRIS COLVILLE ON GILLESPIE’S PUNISHMENT
“I also accept you are sincerely and genuinely remorseful.”
Gillespie, of Kirkcaldy, originally faced a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
But the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the lesser offence of causing death by driving carelessly.