The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Drink-driver pleads guilty to lethal high-speed crash
Pensioner died when BMW hit bus shelter
before the crash, which was in a 30mph area.
Judge Lord Mulholland told Henderson he had made his car a “lethal weapon”, adding: “It is appalling driving for quite some distance, involving speeding, going through a red light, undertaking, overtaking when it is unsafe to do so, all while you are under the influence of alcohol.
“You have taken a life and given that poor family a life sentence.”
He added that Miss Donaldson had suffered a “horrific injury”, which resulted in having a metal plate and pins inserted in her leg.
Engineering supervisor Henderson, who dabbed his eyes with a tissue as he stood in the dock, has six previous driving convictions and was banned three times for speeding, drink-driving and careless driving.
Yesterday he admitted causing the death of Mr Forbes and severe injury to Miss Donaldson by driving dangerously on the A96 Inverurie to Aberdeen road, attempting to pervert the course of justice by leaving the crash scene and falsely reporting his car had been stolen.
Advocate depute Graeme Jessop said Henderson had lost control on a bend due to “consuming alcohol and the excessive speed at which he was driving”.
He hit a Nissan Pixo, which went into the central reservation, although both occupants were unharmed.
The BMW then struck the pavement and hit the bus shelter where retired bus driver Mr Forbes and Miss Donaldson were waiting.
A breath test showed he had 78 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 22mcg.
Henderson was remanded in custody for the preparation of background reports. He will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow later this month.
After the hearing, Mr Forbes’s family said in a statement: “The loss of Allan has devastated us and it has left a huge gap in our family that will never be filled. We are glad justice has been done and it means our family can focus on healing.”
Last night Sergeant Craig McNeill, of the roads policing team, welcomed the conviction and said Henderson’s behaviour both before and after the incident had been “shocking”.
“Our investigation led to his quick arrest. However it was a tragic incident where innocent people had to suffer because of his actions,” he said.
“The dangers of driving both dangerously and under the influence of alcohol are well known, it is totally unacceptable and there is no reasonable excuse for it.”