Family of couple killed in City Bypass smash slam driver's sentence

The crash happened on the
Edinburgh City Bypass — The crash happened on the Edinburgh City Bypass

Alexander McCabe was returning from a holiday and caused the crash which proved fatal for his friends, Marc Edwards, 26, and his partner, Jenna Tindall, 29, pictured.

He pleaded guilty to causing their deaths by dangerous driving, and to injuring two men in July last year, and was sentenced to 180 hours community service yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

But Jenna’s family were left furious at the sentence.

Her mum, Lois Tindall, told the Evening News after the hearing: “We are devastated with the result as he has got off with it. How can we tell Abbie her mum’s and Marc’s lives were only worth 180 hours of community service? She has to grow up without her mother but he now goes back to his partner, who is pregnant, and starts a new life. How fair is that? It’s heartbreaking.”

The court had heard that McCabe, his partner, Nicola Brown, and their seven-year-old daughter, had been on a week’s holiday in Lanzarote with their friends and their seven-year-old daughter, and were returning home to Dundee from Newcastle Airport.

McCabe and Ms Brown were in the front seats of his Mercedes with their daughter in the back, while Mr Edwards and Ms Tindall were in the front seats of their Vauxhall Corsa with their daughter in the rear seat.

The Corsa was in front of the Mercedes as they approached the roundabout at the junction of the A68 with the A720 at Millerhill at around 3am.

The Mercedes struck the rear of the Corsa, pushing it into the path of a Vauxhall Vivaro van, being driven in the opposite direction by Jonathan Walker and passenger Keiron Wilcox.

As a result of the collision, Mr Edwards and Ms Tindall were killed and the two men in the van injured, Mr Walker seriously and Mr Wilcox with minor injuries. The two little girls did not require treatment.

The court heard how the Mercedes had been travelling at an average speed of 46mph.

McCabe was also disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years and was ordered to resit his driving test.

Sentencing McCabe, Sheriff O’Grady said: “The word ‘tragedy’ is nowadays very much overused, but it is the word that inevitably and justifiably springs to mind when considering these events. The consequences of this offence have been truly horrendous which will live with the families of the deceased, and indeed you, for the rest of their lives.”

Sheriff O’Grady told the court that McCabe had not been affected by drink or drugs and was not deliberately driving in a reckless fashion.

He said: “From what I have been told, both you and Mr Edwards appear to have behaved identically and I infer both felt able to drive. The lapse which led to this outcome had been momentary, albeit with a dreadful outcome.”