MP's son cleared of driving charge

The case was heard at Glasgow Sheriff Court

A mother ran weeping from court after an MP's son was cleared of driving carelessly the night her teenage daughter died when his car crashed into a lamp-post.

Isobel Wallace and her husband called for a change in the law and criticised Rutherglen Labour MP Tommy McAvoy for telling his son Brian not to speak to the police after the crash.

Mr McAvoy, 21, was found not guilty of driving carelessly and failing to maintain control of a Rover 400 car when it spun out of control, killing 17-year-old Laurene Norris.

Sheriff Susan Sinclair found Mr McAvoy guilty of a second charge of overloading his car with too many passengers and fined him £300 with three penalty points on his licence.

He had denied being at fault in the accident in Glasgow's Rutherglen Road at 0200 in the morning of 7 April last year.

'Will never end'

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard McAvoy, who works in his father's local constituency office, and a friend had picked up Laurene and three of her teenage friends from the Tunnel night club in Glasgow.

Mrs Wallace was too distraught to say much, but Laurene's step-dad John Wallace, said: "First of all we would like to express our thanks to family and friends for their ongoing support through these tragic 14 months.

"This will ever never end for us. We have lost our daughter, but hopefully we can go on from here and try to rebuild our lives."

He said they wanted to see limits on the size and power of cars that young and inexperienced motorists can drive.

'Appropriate action'

They also called for the statutory blood tests for drivers involved in fatal and serious road accidents.

Mr Wallace added: "Finally, we are disappointed he was only charged with careless driving. Surely if someone is seriously injured or killed it should be taken into consideration."

Mr Wallace said he and his wife would write to Tony Blair because they did not feel able to raise the issue with their MP - Tommy McAvoy.

Driving experts told the court that on the available evidence Mr McAvoy had taken the appropriate action in trying to stop his car from fish-tailing, but it was raining heavily and the road was wet.

Two taxi driver described how the Rover spun in a complete circle two or three times from one side of the road to the other before crashing backwards into the lamp post.

'Don't say anything'

Laurene was flung through the back window and died shortly afterwards in the city's Victoria Infirmary from head injuries.

Two of the other girls and Mr McAvoy's friend were treated at the same hospital.

Police Constable Iain Murray, 33, told the court he was trying to ask Mr McAvoy what had happened when his father interrupted and told his son not to say anything.

"I asked the father not to say anything because it was a matter between me and Brian," he said.