Farmer who reported M9 crash angered by police delay

Lamara Bell and her partner John Yuill were found inside their car after it crashed down an embankment off the M9

A farmer has spoken of his anger after police took three days to respond to his call about a car crash which caused the deaths of two people.

John Yuill, 28 and his partner Lamara Bell, 25, died after their car crashed off the M9 near Stirling in 2015.

John Wilson called Police Scotland after spotting the car on 5 July .

But his call was not logged into the system, meaning action was not taken until three days later.

The car's driver Mr Yuill was found dead and the passenger Ms Bell was critically injured. She later died in hospital.

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The inquiry has previously heard that an operator who took the message wrote it down in his notebook but failed to log it into the IT system.

Mr Wilson told a fatal accident inquiry at Falkirk Sheriff Court that he and his father had spotted the car from another road but could not see if anyone was inside.

He called 101 and reported it to the operator who said he would check if they knew about it.

'Blood pressure rising'

Mr Wilson told the inquiry: "I'm only trying to do my duty of care, being a member of the public. That's why I reported it."

Three days later, on Wednesday 8 July Mr Wilson learned that the emergency services were at the scene.

He went back to look and saw a stretcher board being taken out of an air ambulance.

"My blood pressure was rising, my anger was starting to take over and I just wanted to remove myself from the scene. I had seen enough."

He called the police again and told another operator: "I reported that, kid you not, on Sunday morning at 11:28. That same car. I hope to God there's nobody dead."

Mr Wilson told the operator he knew there was a couple who had gone missing with a car in the Loch Earn area.

A lawyer representing Ms Bell's father asked him if he was still angry about it eight years on.

He said he was and added: "Basically the fact that it wasn't dealt with at the time and unfortunately two folk have passed away."