Driver found not guilty after race crash
Callum Wood, 21, was charged with dangerous driving but has been found not guilty for the death of three teenagers after a car accident.
Sam Crouchley, 18, died alongside the 195 Keith to Banff road with his 15-year-old passengers Rebecca dick and Amy Jaffray in 2006.
Mr. Wood denied dangerous driving and a Sheriff found there was not enough strong evidence to prove he had been speeding close to their car.
Grampian Police apologised for their verdict and stated that steps had been taken to address the errors, after the family of Mr Crouchley reacted angrily to the findings.
Neil Crouchley,Sam’s father said: “What was the point in having a court case? To say I'm annoyed with the police is an understatement.”
Mr Crouchley’s Seat Ibiza crashed with a people carrier on a bridge. Mr Wood was driving a Ford Focus.
It was alleged that the Seat exploded “like a bomb” after a race ended in the tragic crash, the trial heard.
Accident investigators estimated Mr Crouchley was driving at speeds of at least 83mph, but their calculations were proved wrong in their police report.
As a result, Sheriff James Hendry said that Mr Wood could not be convicted because the speed and proximity of the two cars were not proven during the four day trial.
However, he said: “I want to add, however, that until young people realise cars are not toys then accidents like we've heard about will continue to happen.”
Mr Wood had admitted driving at 70-75mph on the 60mph stretch of road during a police interview.
He claimed to be driving “two swimming pool lengths” from Mr Crouchley but a witness claimed they were about 20in apart minutes before the crash.
Updated on 03/07/2009