Facing jail, driver who caused cabbie’s death after head-on collision

A SPEEDING motorist has been told he faces jail for causing the death of a taxi driver and inflicting serious injuries on a pedestrian.

Scott Gilligan collided head-on with a Skoda Octavia cab driven by Edward Cullen, 55, causing it to plough into Margaret Mansell and propel her into the air.

The 60-year-old widow landed in a hedge and suffered fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. She also lost the use of a kidney as a result of the crash on the A736 at Barrhead, Renfrewshire, on June 14, 2021. Mr Cullen suffered fractures and chest injuries and died in hospital three months later.

He had only recently returned to work after suffering a heart attack, and heart disease was a potential contributory factor in his death, a court was told. Gilligan, 35, of Paisley, yesterday pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to causing serious injury and death by dangerous driving. He also admitted driving without insurance.

Gilligan was told a prison term was ‘inevitable’ as he was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

Mr Cullen’s wife Margaret said: ‘Eddie was my future. I cannot see a future now. I will never be the same person.’

Prosecutor Margaret Barron told the court Ms Mansell could not remember the accident and only recalled ‘rather suddenly finding herself looking up at the sky from an adjacent bit of grassland’.

Emergency services pulled Ms Mansell out of the hedge, while Mr Cullen was found conscious and trapped in the driver’s seat of his taxi.

Gilligan was described as being confused at the scene. He provided a negative sample for alcohol and drugs in his system.

An investigation determined he had driven at 69mph in a 40mph zone and straddled the central white lines at a bend in the road.

Gilligan has seven previous convictions, including road traffic matters.

Sentence was deferred until next month by judge Lady Stacey, who said: ‘I’m sure you know your dangerous driving that day had catastrophic consequences.’

She added: ‘A custodial sentence is inevitable.’