Van driver jailed for six years after reading paperwork and killing cyclist

A van driver who was reading paperwork when he struck and killed a man cycling to work was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison.

Philip Scott, 40, was convicted by a jury of causing the death of 32-year-old Euan Thomson by dangerous driving after a crash on Aug. 10, 2022, on the A760 between Largs and Kilbirnie near Dalry. The sentencing took place at the High Court in Edinburgh, where the presiding judge said the case had been "heartbreaking" and that the morning of the collision "was the morning their world fell apart."

Lady Dorrian Hood told Scott that given the nature and seriousness of the offence a custodial sentence was the only appropriate penalty. She noted Thomson was a father of two who excelled at his work and in sports, particularly rugby, and described the impact of his death on his family.

Scott, formerly of Nelson Street, Largs, in North Ayrshire, denied causing Thomson's death by dangerous driving but was convicted following a trial earlier this year at the High Court in Kilmarnock. A witness who gave evidence at trial told police they believed the van driver was looking at a piece of paper rather than the road ahead at the moment of impact. The jury accepted that Scott was not watching the road because he was looking at paperwork.

Prosecutors said Scott had 14 groups of previous convictions, nine of which related to road traffic offences including using a mobile phone while driving, and that the use of illicit substances had been a "constant feature" of his adult life. Scott had offered to plead guilty to a lesser charge of careless driving, but the Crown rejected the plea and the case proceeded to trial.

Sentencing statements at the High Court emphasised both the culpability of the driver and the profound effect on Thomson's family. The judge referred to reports detailing the emotional and practical consequences for his two young sons and other relatives.

Crown counsel argued for a custodial sentence reflecting the seriousness of dangerous driving which causes death, pointing to Scott's driving history and the circumstances of the crash. Defence counsel had urged the court to consider mitigating factors, including Scott's previous guilty pleas on other matters and any steps he had taken since the collision, but the judge concluded those factors did not outweigh the need for a sentence commensurate with the harm caused.

The case returns attention to road safety and the responsibilities of drivers to keep full attention on the road. Dangerous driving causing death is a serious criminal offence under Scots law and can carry a lengthy prison term when aggravating features are present, including history of road offending and evidence of distraction at the wheel.

Victims' family statements and witness testimony were central to the trial, and the court heard descriptions of Thomson as a dedicated worker, an accomplished sportsman and a devoted father. Sentencing remarks underscored that the criminal conviction, while holding the driver to account, cannot undo the loss suffered by his family.

Scott will serve the term imposed by the High Court; details on whether he will seek leave to appeal were not reported at the sentencing hearing.