Horror unfolded in the midst of Christmas festivities

The rare legal bid for a private prosecution stems back to the tragedy on a typically busy Christmas shopping day in Glasgow almost two years ago.

Thousands of people were in the city centre on Monday, December 22, 2014, when a Glasgow City Council bin lorry turned into Queen Street at 2.15pm.

The crew were chatting about their own Christmas plans but moments later driver Harry Clarke blacked out “like a light switch”.

It took just 19 seconds for the tragedy to unfold and six people were killed and many more seriously injured as the truck mounted the pavement and careered along the road until it crashed into the Millennium Hotel.

All of those who died had been in the city centre preparing for Christmas.

Erin McQuade and her grandparents Lorraine and Jack Sweeney had been out for lunch and shopping.

Jacqueline Morton had finished work early and was on her way to pick up her grand-daughters.

Gillian Ewing was heading for the train back to Edinburgh with her daughter Lucy and school teacher Stephenie Tait was waiting to use a cash machine.

During the FAI, it emerged Mr Clarke had a history of blackouts that had not been disclosed to the DVLA or when he was applying for the council job in 2010.

Sheriff John Beckett QC, who chaired the FAI, ruled the crash might have been avoided if Mr Clarke had told the truth.

The lorry after it crashed.