Maserati at 95mph before crash

THE Maserati which collided with Mull vet Theresa Wade’s van was travelling at 95.5mph just minutes before the crash in which she died, a court was told on Tuesday.

A claims manager with Trax Global Solutions, Nicholas Street, 51, told the High Court in Glasgow he extracted the information from a black box in the high-powered car.

He was giving evidence at the trial of Thomas Wainwright, 27, who lives in Valbonne, France, and who denies causing the death of island vet Ms Wade on the A849 near to Craignure on October 28, 2015, by driving dangerously on the wrong side of the road and under the influence of alcohol.

He also denies failing to provide a breath test.

Mr Street told prosecutor Tim Niven-Smith that the speed recorded by the car just before 8pm on October 28, 2015, was 95.51mph.

He was asked by Mr Niven-Smith if the car then decreased its speed to 90.19mph and then to 69.05mph and replied: ‘Yes.’

The court heard that the next recorded reading at 8.01pm was 0mph.

Mr Niven-Smith then asked: ‘We know that the Maserati was involved in a collision on this road. Does this give an indication of the speed at or about the time of the collision?’

Mr Street replied: ‘Yes, 69.05mph.’

The prosecutor said: ‘If the person identified as the driver said they were driving at 55mph, that is not consistent with the data,’ and Mr Street replied: ‘No, it’s not.’

The black box was installed in the Maserati by hire company Sixt. Wainwright hired the car from the firm at Edinburgh Airport before driving to Mull.

Earlier Constable Sharon Carr told of arriving at the crash scene at about 8.20pm.

She said: ‘I saw the Maserati had extensive damage and the white van was on the verge in a ditch.’

Constable Carr said Wainwright was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands and the other occupant of the Maserati, Jerome Lopez, was standing in the roadway.

The police officer told the jury that a member of the ambulance crew at the scene told her Ms Wade was dead.

The road was closed and specialist police officers from Oban were brought over by the lifeboat crew and arrived on the scene at 2.50am.

The trial before Judge John Morris QC continues.