Lorry driver found guilty by jury of causing death of nursery teacher

A lorry driver has been found guilty of killing a 26-year-old nursery teacher because he failed to notice a steel outrigger stabiliser of his lorry was insecure and had fully extended before it struck her.

John O'Donnell, of Crossover Road, Inverurie had denied driving dangerously and killing Inverness woman Chloe Morrison, who had been walking along a pavement on the A82 at Kerrowdown, near Drumnadrochit with her mother.

He was convicted by a jury's majority at the High Court in Inverness of causing her death by careless driving after more than four hours of deliberating. When the verdict was returned, members of Ms Morrison's family burst into tears, as did O'Donnell's family who had been present throughout the six-day trial.

The Morrisons were too distraught to comment immediately afterwards.

Lord Stuart deferred sentence until October 19 at Glasgow High Court and called for a background report. Defence counsel Tony Graham asked that his client have his bail continued.

The judge told O'Donnell that had he been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, he would not have granted bail and would have remanded him in custody. O'Donnell was told he was disqualified from driving immediately.

The trial heard that O'Donnell had driven his lorry with a crane attached from Oldmeldrum to the north of Skye on October 24, 2019, stayed overnight and his load of fibre cable ducts was taken off by another grab crane.

The 52-year-old admitted he had dropped stabilising legs the following day because of gales on October 25 although he was not trained to do so, before setting off on his return journey. But he insisted he did not extend the outrigger beams.

However, CCTV showed the nearside outrigger's yellow warning sign that it was unlocked when he filled up with diesel at a Broadford filling station.

He said he also visually checked the lorry on a rest break in a lay-by near Invermoriston and didn't see anything untoward.

But the jury saw more CCTV which showed the outrigger moving as the lorry negotiated a tight bend coming out of Drumnadrochit.

Then a passenger in a car travelling in the opposite direction saw the outrigger swing out seconds before reaching the collision scene.