I tried to stop rally just before fatal crash, says official

A RALLY marshal decribed how fans ‘screamed’ at him when he tried to stop a race because he thought it had become ‘too dangerous’ – moments before a crash in which a woman was killed.

John Clayton, 72, told a fatal accident inquiry how he wanted the February 2013 Snowman Rally halted because he was concerned that people were standing too close to the circuit.

But Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard yesterday fans did not react well to the actions of Mr Clayton – one of two marshals at a hairpin bend – shortly before spectator Joy Robson, 51, from Portree, Skye, died.

Mr Clayton told Crown lawyer Andrew Brown, QC, that he was concerned about the large

‘Spoiling their fun’

number of people attending the rally at Drumnadrochit, near Inverness.

He wanted the proceedings stopped in order to keep enthusiasts who were standing at ‘inappropriate locations’ safe.

He said: ‘That’s why after 20 minutes I called it off. We did not have an incident at that point. But I felt as if I couldn’t handle it.’ His intervention resulted in cars that had not started the course being prevented from doing so.

When Mr Brown asked Mr Clayton whether people were ‘screaming’ at him, Mr Clayton replied: ‘Yes they were. And at other events people are screaming at you because you are spoiling their fun.’

Mr Clayton was giving evidence at a joint fatal accident inquiry also looking into the deaths of three fans at a separate event – the Jim Clark rally, near Coldstream, Berwickshire, in 2014. The inquiry continues.