Teenager admits causing death of best pal in crash

Billy Haggart was killed after Bradley Wallace lost control of car

A Perthshire teenager has admitted causing the death of his best friend in a high-speed crash. Bradley Wallace was returning to Blairgowrie after a trip to the cinema in Dundee when he lost control of his car on a bend. The vehicle rolled several times and came to rest in a field at the side of the A923 between Dundee and Coupar Angus. Front seat passenger Billy Haggart, 18, was killed in the accident, which happened a little over a year ago. Wallace, who had passed his driving test just weeks before, pled guilty to causing his friend’s death by driving carelessly and at excessive speed when he appeared at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday. The court heard Mr Haggart’s family had forgiven his 19-year-old friend. Depute fiscal David Barclay said: “They regard this as a terrible, if heartbreaking, accident. “They feel that the accused, who they saw as Billy’s best friend, has already suffered enough and will have to live with the consequences for the rest of his life.”

A teenager caused the death of his best friend in a high-speed car crash just weeks after passing his driving test. Bradley Wallace, 19, lost control of his car on a bend and rolled it five times before it came to rest in a field as a group of friends returned from a late-night cinema trip. Front-seat passenger Billy Haggart, 18, sustained devastating head injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later. The victim’s family – who said they were too upset to come to court yesterday – have forgiven Wallace for the heartbreaking crash last July. Depute fiscal David Barclay told Perth Sheriff Court: “Billy’s parents have indicated from the outset that they are supportive of the accused and they continue to be on good terms with him. “They regard this as a terrible, if heartbreaking, accident. “They feel that the accused, who they saw as Billy’s best friend, has already suffered enough and will have to live with the consequences for the rest of his life. “They were given the usual victim impact statement form, but indicated they did not propose to submit any, nor is it their intention to attend court which they would find too hard to bear.” Wallace, of Blairgowrie, admitted causing the death of his friend by driving carelessly and at excessive speed for the road conditions on the A923 at Coupar Angus on July 22 2017. He admitted losing control while negotiating a bend, mounting the verge, before rolling the car several times and coming to rest in a field close to a car park. Mr Barclay told the court that accident investigators ruled that “driving inexperience likely played a part” in the accident, which happened on one of Wallace’s first days at the wheel as a qualified driver. The prosecutor said Wallace had passed his test on May 30 2017 and had purchased a Ford Fiesta. However, he had not driven the car for several weeks as the clutch was being repaired. “Accident investigators found there were no pre-collision defects,” Mr Barclay said. “The accused was at fault for this collision, having lost control of the car whilst attempting to negotiate a righthand bend.” They found the reasons for the accident were “inexperience, inappropriate speed, and coarse steering”. When he was quizzed by police, Wallace said he had been driving home from a late-night cinema screening in Dundee with apprentice panel beater Mr Haggart and three other teenage friends. He said he was driving at “50 to 60mph and the back end kicked out on the right-hand bend”. He said he tried to correct it but hit a kerb and then rolled over five times. The court heard how Mr Haggart was in a life-threatening condition. He was slumped forward and unconscious and his breathing was laboured. He was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, but despite the best efforts of medical staff they were unable to save him. Wallace, an apprentice joiner, had sentence deferred for the preparation of reports and he was disqualified from driving on an interim basis.

Bradley Wallace, left, was behind the wheel when his car rolled several times, causing the death of best friend Billy Haggart.

Bradley Wallace, 19, from Blairgowrie, admitted causing the death of his friend by driving carelessly and at excessive speed on the A923 at Coupar Angus, losing control of his car which rolled over and came to rest in a field.

Billy Haggart, 18, a front-seat passenger, died after suffering devastating head injuries in the crash.