Driver who killed Monifieth dad in Father's Day crash jailed

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Stuart Matchett showed little remorse after the crash

A speeding driver who killed a Monifieth man moments after he left a Father's Day gathering has been jailed for four years and eight months.

Peter Macmillan's car was hit by a Renault Clio driven by Stuart Matchett, 44, in Monifieth, Angus, in June 2020.

Mr Macmillan, 52, died two days later in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

A court was told Matchett had stopped taking his medication for paranoid schizophrenia and should not have been allowed to drive.

Matchett previously admitted a charge of causing Mr Macmillan's death by dangerous driving.

He was also banned from driving for seven years and nine months.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told Mr Macmillan's parents never recovered from his death, and both recently died after months of distress.

A previous hearing was told that Mr Macmillan, who was married with a 17-year-old son, was driving a junction at Bank Street in Monifieth.

Witnesses saw Matchett's black Renault Clio overtaking cars while on the wrong side of the road.

'Death wish'

Prosecutor Alex Prentice QC said: "They saw the Clio collide with Mr Macmillan's vehicle striking it on the driver's side.

"Several other eyewitnesses all said that the accused's vehicle was travelling at excessive speed.

"One witness said that the car was going so fast it was like he had a death wish."

The court was told that Matchett continued to drive his badly damaged car. He eventually stopped further down the road and walked back, asking if anyone had seen the driver.

When a witness asked Matchett, "Was it not you?" he said no, before walking off.

'Little remorse'

Matchett was later traced by police to his mother's house.

Mr Prentice said: "She appeared upset and immediately informed officers that she was concerned as the accused had left their home earlier that day in his motor vehicle but had returned on foot.

"At this point the accused told his mother to be quiet and denied owning a car."

Matchett denied any knowledge of what had happened or ever having driven the vehicle.

Mr Prentice added: "The officers noted the accused appeared unconcerned and uninterested in the circumstances and showed little remorse at that time."

Defence advocate Jonathan Crowe QC told the court Matchett had stopped taking his medication after the death of his partner four months before the crash, resulting in a "downward spiral."