Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Driver who nearly hit dad and baby banned
AN “arrogant” driver nearly mowed down a dad and his four-monthold baby at a busy Perth crossing.
The father, who was carrying his youngest son, told how he had to jump backwards to avoid being hit by Bear Scotland technician Jamie Williams in his red Ford Fiesta.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the 21-year-old driver narrowly missed the family-of-four – including a pre-schooler on a scooter – as he drove through the pedestrian crossing on Glasgow Road while the green man signal was flashing.
Williams, a wannabe police officer whose father is a driving instructor, was found guilty after a trial of dangerous driving and failing to comply with the red light on October 22 2019.
The court heard how his career and future plans were now in tatters.
The dad, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was walking towards Lidl supermarket with his youngest in a baby carrier, his wife and his then four-year-old son riding his scooter.
“It was about 5.30pm and it was pretty busy,” he said. “We pressed the pedestrian crossing button and the green man light came on.”
The 46-year-old said he saw the cars in lane one, to his right, come to a halt. The second northbound lane was empty, he said.
“We started to walk across when suddenly this red car came past us,” he said. “I had to jump back because it was pretty close.
“It’s difficult to say what speed it was doing, but it was fast.”
Shaken and upset, the family continued to walk to Lidl where they saw Williams parking his car.
“I was just full of emotions,” said the dad. “I was thinking that I usually let my eldest son go first with his scooter when we are out walking.
“If he had been in front of me, it would have been a disaster.”
The dad approached Williams in his car. “I knocked on his window,” he said.
“I told him ‘You nearly killed my family’, but all he would say was ‘I saw nothing’.
“I told him ‘I had a baby with me, you could have killed us’.
“He was really arrogant. There was no reaction from him.
“I decided to phone the police when I got home,” he said. Under cross-examination by defence solicitor John McLaughlin, the dad said he would not have called police if Williams had said sorry.
Giving evidence, Williams said he was “positive” the traffic light was on green before he drove across.
He added: “I maybe would have said sorry to him to try and calm things down if I knew what I was saying sorry for.”
Sheriff Linda Smith told Williams: “Your actions fall far short of what is expected of a careful and considerate driver.”
Williams was fined £350 and banned from the road for 18 months.
Mr McLaughlin said: “I am told that he will lose his employment with Bear Scotland.”