Driver to Receive Suspended Sentence Following Child’s Death

A court has been informed that a 92-year-old man, responsible for fatally striking an eight-year-old girl, is to receive a suspended sentence. Scarlett Rossborough, a resident of Larne, passed away in August 2023 after being hit by a vehicle operated by John Noble Lindsay in Carrickfergus. Lindsay, whose address is Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus, pleaded guilty to the offense of causing Scarlett’s death through dangerous driving. Currently hospitalized, he was granted an exemption from appearing at Monday’s proceedings at Belfast Crown Court. Judge Patricia Smyth stated her intention to impose a 10-month sentence on Lindsay, which will be suspended for 12 months, “when he is well enough” to be sentenced. According to information presented in court, a recent medical assessment indicated his life expectancy ranges from nine months to one year. Additionally, the former police officer will be prohibited from driving for a period of five years. “The enormity of the tragedy cannot be put into words,” the judge communicated to the court. “Scarlett was a beautiful, happy child, loved by all who knew her. “She was eight years old and described as the princess of the family.” “She was the kindest, most sensitive, empathetic little person. She was determined and passionate.” The judge noted that Scarlett enjoyed sports and music, and was an enthusiastic artist and gymnast who cherished playing with her younger brother. She further commented that there was “no sentence that will bring any comfort to Scarlett’s parents and family, who have suffered so much”. On the day the collision occurred, Scarlett, a student at Linn Primary School in Larne, was among a group of children and adult supervisors from a community center summer program on an excursion to Carrickfergus Castle. Crown barrister David Russell KC stated that while the group was proceeding along the High Street footpath, Lindsay’s vehicle ascended the curb and hit three children. Before the impact, Lindsay had positioned his car in a designated disabled parking spot. Mr Russell reported that following the initial parking of his car, Lindsay was recorded on CCTV exiting and subsequently re-entering the vehicle. He then tried to reposition the car, maneuvering the vehicle back and forth multiple times. Mr Russell suggested this was “presumably an effort to move his car closer to the kerb”. He explained that when the car reversed again, with the front wheel turned to the right, its motion was initially gradual before abruptly speeding up. “The car mounted the footpath, striking Scarlett and at least two other children, then collided with the wall of an adjacent building, trapping Scarlett between the rear of the vehicle and the wall,” he recounted. Mr Russell indicated that at the moment of impact, Lindsay’s car was moving at a speed between 11 and 12 mph, and that a possible cause of the collision could have been pedal misapplication, or confusion on Lindsay’s behalf. Defence barrister Frank O’Donoghue KC stated that the defendant had consistently acknowledged complete responsibility. He mentioned that Lindsay was “devastated” by the incident and fully cognizant of the “unrelenting suffering” he had inflicted upon Scarlett’s family. The barrister asserted that his client was “a man who, up to this point, lived an exemplary life” and that “in over 70 years of driving he never so much as received a parking ticket, let alone a penalty point, let alone being convicted of any driving offence”. Mr O’Donoghue disclosed that the day following the event, his client “surrendered his licence and never drove again”. During Monday’s proceedings, Judge Smyth addressed the profound loss experienced by Scarlett’s family. This encompassed Scarlett’s mother, who has been left “haunted” by the tragedy and has advocated for a new legislative measure, “Scarlett’s Law,” aimed at prohibiting very elderly individuals from driving for public safety. Judge Smyth additionally observed that Scarlett’s father’s life has been “ripped apart” by the events concerning his daughter. She concluded that the case “highlights the very real risk that elderly drivers pose to other road users”. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.