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| Family's death trio verdict fury | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Relatives of three young people killed in a road crash have condemned a not proven verdict on the driver who caused the accident in Aberdeenshire. | |
| John Wells, 20, denied causing the deaths by dangerous driving of Stuart Johnston and Emma Foster, both 19, and 24-year-old Jonathan Gray. | |
| He accepted causing the crash, but was instead found guilty of careless driving at the High Court in Aberdeen. | |
| Ms Foster's father said: "How can they call this justice?" | |
| The accident happened on the Turriff to Fyvie road in 2005. | The accident happened on the Turriff to Fyvie road in 2005. |
| Wells was driving a Ford Escort when it was in collision with a Nissan Micra. | Wells was driving a Ford Escort when it was in collision with a Nissan Micra. |
| Just engaged | |
| Ms Foster, from Silverhillocks, Banffshire, and Mr Gray, from Aberdeen, had announced their engagement just days before the crash claimed their lives. | Ms Foster, from Silverhillocks, Banffshire, and Mr Gray, from Aberdeen, had announced their engagement just days before the crash claimed their lives. |
| Their friend Mr Johnston, from Millbrex, in Fyvie, was driving the car they were travelling in. | Their friend Mr Johnston, from Millbrex, in Fyvie, was driving the car they were travelling in. |
| Wells was alleged to have dangerously overtaken another vehicle into the path of the Micra, causing the deaths of the three friends last November. | Wells was alleged to have dangerously overtaken another vehicle into the path of the Micra, causing the deaths of the three friends last November. |
| The three close friends died in the two-car crash | |
| Wells earlier told the trial he was responsible for the accident. | Wells earlier told the trial he was responsible for the accident. |
| He said he pulled out to overtake and hit the Nissan Micra coming in the opposite direction. | He said he pulled out to overtake and hit the Nissan Micra coming in the opposite direction. |
| He said: "I put my right hand signal on to move out, I turned the steering wheel, coming out I saw the headlights of a car. | He said: "I put my right hand signal on to move out, I turned the steering wheel, coming out I saw the headlights of a car. |
| "By the time I broke to slow myself I saw both headlights of the car but my wheels locked and I slid across the road." | "By the time I broke to slow myself I saw both headlights of the car but my wheels locked and I slid across the road." |
| He said that it had been a matter of seconds between the time he started the manoeuvre and the point of impact with the Micra. | He said that it had been a matter of seconds between the time he started the manoeuvre and the point of impact with the Micra. |
| He got out of the car and dialled 999 from his mobile phone. | He got out of the car and dialled 999 from his mobile phone. |
| 'Not gamble' | |
| Defence counsel Norman Ritchie had asked Mr Wells: "Is your position that it was your fault in the sense that you were executing a manoeuvre and the accident happened as a result of that?" | Defence counsel Norman Ritchie had asked Mr Wells: "Is your position that it was your fault in the sense that you were executing a manoeuvre and the accident happened as a result of that?" |
| "Yes," he said. | "Yes," he said. |
| Under cross-examination, advocate depute Drew McKenzie put it to Wells: "You were committed to an overtake and gambled in the hope you would get past, but saw a car coming and collided with it." | Under cross-examination, advocate depute Drew McKenzie put it to Wells: "You were committed to an overtake and gambled in the hope you would get past, but saw a car coming and collided with it." |
| "I did not gamble on the overtake," Wells said. | "I did not gamble on the overtake," Wells said. |
| The crash happened on the Turriff to Fyvie road | |
| The judge charged the jury on Thursday morning, the fourth day of the trial, and they retired at 1100 GMT to consider a verdict, which took them two hours. | The judge charged the jury on Thursday morning, the fourth day of the trial, and they retired at 1100 GMT to consider a verdict, which took them two hours. |
| After the verdict, Lord Mackay told the jury: "It has been a tragic case which will have long-lasting consequences for many people." | |
| Speaking outside the court, Ms Foster's parents Kenneth and Chris said they were deeply upset at the verdict. | |
| Mr Foster said: "It is a miscarriage of justice. How could he [Wells] not see the lights on an open stretch of road? | |
| "Christmas without our daughter is no good." |