An equestrian boss has been found guilty causing the death through careless driving of a “much-loved” grandmother in rural Perthshire.
Jacqueline Gadd, 69, died after being reversed over and getting trapped under a vehicle driven by Andrew Dewar-McCabe near Kinloch Rannoch in June 2022.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Dewar-McCabe was reversing a Mitsubishi pick-up truck loaded with tools and wraps for hay bales on the C450 east of the entrance to Bunrannoch House.
Ms Gadd died a short time later after succumbing to catastrophic injuries.
A post-mortem examination carried out in Dundee a week later confirmed she died of blunt force trauma.
Dewar-McCabe, formerly an equestrian instructor at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, denied causing Ms Gadd’s death by careless driving but jurors returned a majority guilty verdict on the 62-year-old.
Much-loved ‘friend to everyone’
Victim impact statements from Ms Gadd’s sons and her partner of 25 years, John Dewar, were tendered to Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown after Dewar-McCabe’s conviction.
One of the sons said Ms Gadd’s death has caused him “unmeasurable amounts of grief and stress” while another said his mother was a “friend for everyone” that knew her.
Mr Dewar urged people not to think of Ms Gadd as the “lady run over and killed in Kinloch Rannoch”.
He described her as a “much-loved mother and grandmother”.
In evidence, Mr Dewar described how he was working with Dewar-McCabe on fixing a fence next to the road where the fatal accident happened.
The pick-up truck was filled with tools and farm equipment and had a canopy, which meant Dewar-McCabe could not see out of the rearview window or mirror.
Mr Dewar said: “I had to use a chain to close the gate so I was messing about with that.
“Then I heard Andy reversing out.
“I thought he was going to the road to Kinloch Rannoch but then I heard screaming.
“That made me look round. I heard (the pick-up) revving up then a couple of ‘whoomp, whoomp’ noises.
“I could see the truck but I never realised Jackie was under it.”
Tragic aftermath
Mr Dewar’s son, also named John, described witnessing the truck reverse out onto the road.
He told the court: “I turned around and saw Jackie rolling about underneath it.
“I ran straight back, banging the side of the jeep, telling Andy to stop.
“He stopped and I said to him ‘you’ve hit Jackie’.
“He said ‘have I hit her?’ and I said ‘no, you’ve driven over the top of her’.
“I could see she was just under the engine. I said to take the jeep back so we could get her out.
“She was lying in a puddle. We shifted her head over a wee bit to her out of the puddle.
“I took it for granted he would reverse out onto the road and drive up to the stables, I don’t know why he would drive straight across like that.”
Following the collision, Dewar-McCabe’s pickup was taken to a garage in Blair Atholl and it was confirmed no mechanical defects led to the collision.
The trial heard from expert road traffic consultant Colin Reid.
Mr Reid, who has 29 years police experience, said: “My finding, based on the information supplied, was that the driver took all reasonable precautions and actions I’d expect.
“He checked his mirrors, he was aware of the position of other road users – I can’t see what more he could do as a driver.”
Dewar-McCabe, of Buchanan Place, Kinloch Rannoch, was found guilty of causing Ms Gadd’s death by careless driving on June 2 2022 after failing to maintain proper visual observations and failing to have someone else guide him when he could not see before the collision.
Sentence was deferred on the first offender until March for a social work report to be prepared.
He will be sentenced at Forfar Sheriff Court.
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