Relative faces prison term after causing 12- year- old girl’s death
● Cousin of Abbie’s father had string of convictions for road traffic offences
A man has admitted causing the death of his 12- year- old relative by dangerous driving.
Abbie Mclaren died after being hit by a car on The Loaning in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, on 12 February.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that Martin Mcguire, 38, from Hamilton, had been travelling at 51mph on the r oad, which has a 30mph speed restriction.
Mcgui r e i s a c o u s i n o f Abbie’s father John Mclaren, who was a passenger in the car when Abbie was hit.
The court heard that Abbie had no contact with her father and did not know Mcguire.
Mcguire provided a negative breath test, but admitted he had no licence and no insurance at the time of the crash. It also emerged that he had never had a full driving licence, but was the holder of an expired provisional licence.
Abbie, who was a pupil at Dalziel High School, was hit by Mcguire’s Citroen D3 car at just after 4pm after she and a friend got off a bus outside the U- Save shop.
The 12- year- old’s friend had stopped half- way across the road, but Abbie had continued to run across and was hit by the car.
The court was told it was coincidence that Mcguire and Abbie’s father had been driving along the road at the time.
The court heard the speed at which the vehicle was travelling caused Abbie to be projected forward onto a nearby parked car.
She suffered multiple fractures and died in hospital the next day.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice QC said: “He [ Mcguire] drove the vehicle well in excess of the 30mph speed limit.
“I t was c a l c ul a t e d f r o m CCTV footage that he travelled at an average speed of 51mph while the vehicle was braking. There was nothing obscuring his view and no reason for him not to observe her just before the point of collision.
“The speed travelled did not allow sufficient reaction time to an obvious hazard such as a person crossing the road.”
Mcguire, a f ather of seven, had stopped the car and remained at the scene.
During court proceedings it also emerged he had previous convictions for road traffic offences including drinkdriving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Sentence was deferred to 28 June. Mcguire, a roofer from Hamilton, was released on bail but was warned he faces a jail sentence. He was also banned from driving in the interim.
Mr Prentice told the court: “Abbie Mclaren lived with her mother and stepfather and brother and sisters and was especially close to her 13- yearold sister. She was a very popular girl. Her grandparents are going to miss her deeply.”