Audrey Fyfe’s family accompanied by CTC supporters to appeal hearing
They attended the appeal hearing of the unduly lenient sentence handed down to Audrey’s killer, Gary McCourt.
McCourt was convicted of causing Audrey’s death by careless driving and was given a 5 year driving ban and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service in May of this year.
CTC campaigned for an appeal of this sentence on the grounds that it was unduly lenient, as it did not take into consideration McCourt’s previous conviction for killing another cyclist, George Dalgity, 25 years before. Over 6000 supporters wrote to the Lord Advocate in support of an appeal.
Several of those who wrote to the Lord Advocate also attended the hearing on Tuesday to support the Fyfe family. Audrey’s daughter Linda Hamilton, speaking on behalf of her father Ian and sister Aileen, told CTC that the family would be delighted to have the support of fellow cyclists.
The Fyfe family are not seeking a long prison sentence but do believe McCourt should be banned from driving for life. Only this measure can guarantee he doesn’t kill or injure any more cyclists or other road users.
We hope the Fyfe family get justice for what happened to Audrey and that a clear message is sent to all drivers that driving which puts cyclists’ lives in danger will not be tolerated.
Rhia Weston
CTC's Road Justice Campaign Coordinator
So far this year, 9 cyclists have been killed in Scotland, which is equal to the total number killed in 2012. More must be done to protect these vulnerable road users and prevent further unnecessary deaths. The justice system needs to send out a strong signal that irresponsible driving will be dealt with seriously and actively discouraged and dealt with seriously when it occurs.
CTC’s Road Justice campaign is calling for thorough police investigations of road traffic collisions, better charging and prosecution decisions, and sentences that reflect the severity of the offence committed and discourage bad driving.
If you've not already signed the petition calling for better police investigation into road crashes, please do so.
The petition is only relevant to England and Wales, but those living elsewhere are still welcome to sign. CTC will be publishing a Road Justice report into the Scottish legal system in 2014.
