Composer Irving Berlin's grand-daughter killed OAP in East Lothian crash

AN American woman who killed a pensioner in a horrific car crash after driving on the wrong side of the road has been admonished.

Caroline Bourgois Emmet - the grand-daughter of composer Irving Berlin - crashed head-on into a car carrying 83-year-old Elizabeth Henderson near to Gullane, East Lothian

Caroline Bourgois Emmet - the grand-daughter of composer Irving Berlin - crashed head-on into a car carrying 83-year-old Elizabeth Henderson near to Gullane, East Lothian, in 2017.

Emmet, an American citizen who lives in France, was heading towards Edinburgh Airport with two children and two women in a hired VW Golf when the crash occurred.

Mrs Henderson, from North Berwick, was a back seat passenger in the vehicle driven by her husband William and despite being rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh she died two days later.

The OAP suffered multiple pelvis and limb fractures and internal bleeding, while her husband and another passenger, Christine Fraser, were also badly injured.

Emmet, 57, was spared a jail sentence after she was found guilty of a charge of dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in October last year.

Lord Glennie banned the mother-of-one from driving for three years and sentence was deferred for 12 months after she agreed to carry out 500 hours of unpaid work with two charities in Paris.

The case called again for sentencing with Emmet appearing via a weblink and Lord Glennie heard she had completed 538 hours of work with the two charities.

The court was told Emmet continues to be involved with one of the charities and is currently mentoring a young female refugee as a result.

Lord Glennie said if Emmet lived in the UK he would have sentenced her to a 300 hour unpaid work community payback order and that he was “satisfied” she had carried out over 500 hours in her home country.

The judge added: “In these circumstances I consider it appropriate in this case that I admonish you.”

During Emmet’s trial the court heard she was heading for Edinburgh Airport and was carrying two children and two women in her hire car on July 19, 2017.

She emerged from the Archerfield Estate onto the A198 road between Dirleton and Gullane and drove for around 500 metres on the wrong side of the road before colliding with the vehicle carrying Mrs Henderson.

The court heard Emmet had never driven on the left hand side of the road before her trip to Scotland for a friend’s birthday.

The judge said he accepted that Emmet’s offending did not feature any aggravating issues such as drink or drug driving, driving too fast or using a mobile phone.

Lord Glennie noted Emmet’s previous driving record was exemplary and accepted her remorse was “genuine”.

The judge said he also took account of the needs of her 14-year-old son who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when he was months old.

Emmet, of Rue Pierre Haret, Paris, had denied causing the death of Mrs Henderson by driving dangerously and had offered to plead guilty to a charge of careless driving but the Crown rejected the plea.

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