Voice of F1 dies at 97
Motorsports pays tribute to legendary commentator
Rich Jones
Legendary motorsport commentator Murray Walker OBE has passed away aged 97.
Walker was known as the Voice of F1, having provided television commentary of the sport for the BBC between 1976 and 1996, and for ITV between 1997 and 2001.
He commentated on his first Grand Prix back in 1949 and was awarded an OBE in 1996 for his services to broadcasting and motorsport.
Tributes poured in for the Birminghamborn former journalist.
Flying Scot and three- time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, 81, said: “There will never be another Murray Walker.
“He is one of those people that will be remembered forever and not too many commentators could expect that to happen after their life.
“It is a great loss. We are all at a certain age where we are seeing friends and colleagues slip away which is very sad but, in the case of Murray, he will never be forgotten.”
A statement from the British Racing Drivers’ Club read: “It’s with great sadness we share the news of the passing of BRDC Associate Member Murray Walker OBE.
“A friend, a true motorsport legend, the nations favourite commentator and a contagious smile.
“Murray will be sadly missed, his mark and voice will live on in motorsport and our hears forever.
“We thank Murray for all he has done for our community.
“Sending our love and thoughts to Murray’s family and friends at this difficult time.
“RIP our friend.”
And a statement from Formula One
read: “We are immensely sad to hear that Murray Walker has passed away.
“His passion and love of the sport inspired millions of fans around the world. He will forever be a part of our history and will be dearly missed.”
Walker battled health problems in his later years.
He was diagnosed with a mild form of lymphoma during tests in hospital after he suffered a fall while on a German river cruise holiday when he was 89.
Speaking in 2016, he made a heartbreaking admission he was not physically able to attend races but vowed to keep his passion for the sport until his death.
Murray said: “I am an old man, my legs aren’t what they used to be. You know, four days of walking about at a Grand Prix is very hard work indeed.
“I would rather quietly stay at home. “I have always been passionate about it and I am sure I will be and will go on as long as I can put one foot in front of the other.”
Jennifer Hyland
A woman at the centre of a deadly love triangle that resulted in a man being killed has said she’ll never forgive herself over his death.
Shannon Beattie watched in horror as her partner Robbie Smullen knifed Barry Dixon in the heart after catching the pair alone.
Barry, 22, had been wearing just his boxer shorts when he was killed after going back to Shannon’s flat in Perth.
Shannon told Smullen, 23, they did not have sex and Barry was only in his underwear because he had spilled wine on his clothes.
But he launched a fatal attack and, last week, a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found him guilty of culpable homicide.
Now Shannon has said she is wracked with guilt over Barry’s death and claimed witnessing the incident has left her with PTSD.
She was pregnant with Smullen’s child at the time but later chose to have a termination.
The 25-year-old said: “I’ll never be able to live with myself. I put these men into that situation, not intentionally, but it happened.
“I just feel my actions have let so many people down.
“I’ve let Robbie down by letting him ruin his life by bringing another man into the house. I’ve let Barry down and he is now in the ground because of me.
“I’ve let my family down, I’ve let Barry’s fami ly down. I’ l l never forgive myself.
“That night, I was pregnant but later I had a termination. It was all just too much.
“My heart goes out to Barry’s family. It was a situation I created but it wasn’t my intention for somebody to lose their life.
“I just wished Barry had pulled through and lived.”
Shannon, who had been in an onoff relationship with Smullen for four years, had argued with him because she believed another woman was pregnant with his child.
She claims to have demanded he hand back the keys to her flat but was shocked when he later let himself in and found Barry there on June 4, 2019.
Smul len’s mum Mary Theresa Smullen, 46, tried to help her son cover his tracks by telling police Shannon had stabbed Barry.
She pled g ui l t y to attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Smul len , of Perth, claimed t he fat a l injury was inf licted when Ba r r y pulled a knife on him and they both “tripped and fell”.
Shannon added: “I feel like it was my fault but I don’t know why because it was Robbie that did it.
“Me and Robbie had an argument that night. I had reason to believe he had got another woman pregnant. “A f t er our argument, ar I llata er met Ba Bar r y and took too him into my house. “BBarry had a bottle bottl of wine in the hhouse and spilled spille wine on himself. himse That’s the trutruth, that’s why he had boxers on. We ddidn’t have sex. RobRobbie lived with me so, after we argued, I took my house keys back.
“What I didn’t know was that Robbie had actually given me his mother’s house key. It looked identical to mine and I didn’t check it.
“He let himself into my house that night. He came in, found Barry in his boxers and stabbed him right in front of me.
“Never in a million years did I expect that violence to come from Robbie. I was in love with the guy and the fact I watched him do that is still surreal.
“Then, after the incident, Robbie’s mum made a fake 999 call stating she was me.
“That night, I remember sitting down on the couch and thinking, ‘Did that actually just happen?’
“I’ve lost everything because of Robbie and his actions. I have since been diagnosed with PTSD. It was just so traumatic.” Barry was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee but went into cardiac arrest as doctors tried to repair the wound to his heart.
Shannon said she tr ied to apologise to his devastated family via text messages after the tragedy.
She said she hopes the fact that she helped bring his attacker to justice will offer some comfort.
She said: “Robbie had tried to say I was in the bathroom when the attack happened but I wasn’t.
“I watched it. The reason he said that was because he wanted off with his crime.
“But I stood up and told the truth. I told the court what I had seen and that Robbie took someone’s life out of jealousy.
“People will always think I’m lying about certain things, which is maybe understandable.
“They’ll think, ‘What else is she not saying?’ But what I’ve said is honestly the truth. People have asked, ‘ Did she do it because she wanted to make Robbie jealous?’
“I honestly didn’t arrange to meet up with Barry that night. I bumped into him by going to my friend’s house.
“It all happened unexpectedly. Barry and I were friends and we texted each other.
“He was always the one that was able to cheer everybody up.
“I have tried in text messages to apologise to Barry’s family.
“If they were all in front of me in a line, I would apologise to each of them to their face.
“I want people to know how sorry I am for what happened. I never expected or wanted that to happen.
“I’ll never get over this as long as I live.”
Judge Lady Carmichael deferred sentence on Smullen and his mum until April 16.
It was a pathway out of danger that few could have imagined would result in such unbearable suffering.
But as tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the conf lict in Syria, a charity worker has urged people to take part in a 154km challenge that refugees faced to escape the civil war.
Craig Cowan, 32, wants the public to walk, run or cycle the same distance that Syrians had to cover when they fled their homes in Damascus to reach safe haven in Zaatari, Jordan.
He has already started clocking up the miles in stages from his base in the Middle East. Those participating in Move For Mercy Corps can take up to 30 days and raise funds to help those displaced by the fighting.
Craig, of Blairgowrie in Perthshire, said: “Even in peacetime when there is a ceasefire, you still hear reports of schools and hospitals being bombed. People are trying to get their lives back on track and at the same time people are being killed by bombs or preventable diseases.
“It’s so traumatic for the families, for the communities and for our staff to see this happening again.
“The 154km represent a journey most of us can only imagine making to safety.”
More than 12million people have fled their homes since the conflict began.
Craig said: “Jordan has been very welcoming. But its economy had problems when the crisis started. Now they have one of the world’s biggest refugeeg populations.pp Opportunitiespp are really low for refugees, so Mercy Corps does a lot of work in the camps and with those living in communities, ranging from basic needs such as making sure people have enough food to health services and shelter.”
The conf l ict started af ter antigovernment protests in the southern city of Daraa on March 15, 2011.
Rallies which spread across Syria were suppressed by president Bashar al-Assad’s forces, triggering a conflict involving foreign powers including the UK and militant groups. It also led to the rise of Islamic State.
Former bank worker Craig added: “We work with children with disabilities, making sure there are ramps into schools or modifications to the desks. We also provide mental health support to help kids deal with the trauma and stress.”
The UK Government has committed more than £3.5billion of support.
James Cleverly, minister for Middle East and North Africa, said: “I applaud the efforts of Craig Cowan and many other fundraisers in Scotland who will walk, run or cycle 154km to raise awareness of the brutal repression, war and suffering the Syrian people have experienced.
“As the UK pushes for a diplomatic solution, we’ll keep delivering support to people in Syria and in refugee camps. Since 2012, we’ve provided over 28million food rat ions, 20mi l l ion medical consultations and 14million vaccines.”