Man jailed after causing fatal road accident

A 29-year-old man has been jailed for nine months for a fatal road crash he caused near Finstown three years ago.

Ewan Brown was appearing for sentence at Kirkwall Sheriff Court today (Wednesday), having previously pleaded guilty to causing the death of 82-year-old Whilma Hutchison by careless driving.

Brown was behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Golf heading to his home in Stromness in October 2022 when he rounded a bend on the wrong side of the A965 and collided with the red Landrover driven by Mrs Hutchison’s brother Ian Ritch.

She died of internal injuries the following morning while Mr Ritch, who had to be cut free from the wreckage, spent a month in hospital.

After reading background reports, Sheriff Robert McDonald said the seriousness of the offence had to be marked by a jail term.

Brown will serve the sentence once he completes the four-year stint he is currently serving for rape.

He also disqualified Brown from driving for 31 months.