Bus driver avoids jail after death of passenger in Fife

Michael Gillespie failed to give way to an oncoming car in Freuchie High Street

A bus driver in Fife who caused the death of an elderly passenger when he braked heavily has been given 234 hours of unpaid work.

Michael Gillespie, 35, admitted death by careless driving after he failed to give way to an oncoming car in Freuchie High Street in April 2019.

Elizabeth Colville, 82, died after she was thrown forward, striking her head.

Lord Richardson said he was satisfied Gillespie was sorry and that there was "an alternative to imprisonment".

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Gillespie was driving at 26 mph, in excess of the 20 mph limit, and passed parked vehicles while a car was approaching and it was unsafe.

Ms Colville suffered brain and spine injuries and died three days later at Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy.

'Genuinely remorseful'

Lord Richardson said: "I do acknowledge at the time you immediately contacted the emergency services in order to assist the passenger who had been injured."

The judge said Gillespie, who was assessed as posing a very low risk of further offending, had acknowledged it was his responsibility as a driver to ensure passengers were safe.

Lord Richardson added: "I also accept you are sincerely and genuinely remorseful."

Gillespie, from Kirkcaldy, was ordered to carry out the unpaid work within three years under a community payback order. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.

He originally faced a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the lesser careless driving charge.