A 29-year-old man has admitted causing the death of a pedestrian in Paisley after driving at three times the speed limit while under the influence of alcohol.
Callum Fox pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to causing death by dangerous driving following an incident on Bredilands Road at approximately 12:25am on 27 November 2022.
The court heard that Fox, who had been drinking with friends at a cocktail bar earlier that evening, was more than twice the legal alcohol limit when he drove his Mercedes AMG A45 towards a house party. Despite being advised not to drive, he proceeded with the journey.
Fox struck Jim Paterson, aged 63, as he was crossing the road. Mr Paterson was pronounced dead at the scene. The court was told he had been walking home after a night out with family and friends.
Airbag analysis showed that Fox accelerated from 66mph to 91mph in the five seconds leading up to the impact. The speed limit on that stretch of road was 30mph.
Witnesses described Fox’s vehicle as being driven at high speed and erratically, with one observer reporting it was “swerving all over the road.”
A blood test taken after the collision found that Fox had 113 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit in Scotland is 50mg.
In court, Fox was described as a self-employed timeshare salesman. He remained at the scene after the incident and admitted responsibility to police, saying: “It was me, I was driving when I hit the guy.”
The sentencing judge, Lord Cubie, described the driving as “grossly excessive” and noted that the high speed left the victim with no chance of survival. He indicated that a substantial custodial sentence would be imposed.
Sentencing was deferred to January at the High Court in Kilmarnock, pending a background report.
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Carl Millar is a highly respected and experienced drink driving solicitor who is the principal of Millars Solicitors.
Carl has been a specialist in road traffic law for many years and represents clients from all walks of life and all over the Country. He is well known for the dogged defending of his clients and robust cross examination of police officers and exert witnesses.
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