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| Double fatal crash driver jailed | Double fatal crash driver jailed |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| A driver who admitted causing the deaths of his partner and her mother by dangerous driving has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. | A driver who admitted causing the deaths of his partner and her mother by dangerous driving has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. |
| The High Court in Edinburgh had earlier heard that the wreckage of Stephen Macpherson's car had resembled the debris of an air crash. | The High Court in Edinburgh had earlier heard that the wreckage of Stephen Macpherson's car had resembled the debris of an air crash. |
| His partner Lynn Paterson, 41, was killed and her mother Margaret McGarvie, 70, later died in hospital. | His partner Lynn Paterson, 41, was killed and her mother Margaret McGarvie, 70, later died in hospital. |
| Macpherson, 45, from Troon, crashed on a Black Isle road in April 2007. | Macpherson, 45, from Troon, crashed on a Black Isle road in April 2007. |
| The case took so long to come to court because Macpherson suffered a head injury in the crash. | The case took so long to come to court because Macpherson suffered a head injury in the crash. |
| It happened on a hump-backed bridge at the end of a section of road in the Black Isle, near Inverness, known locally as the Culicudden straight. | It happened on a hump-backed bridge at the end of a section of road in the Black Isle, near Inverness, known locally as the Culicudden straight. |
| The consequence of his driving has left two of his passengers without their mother and grandmother Insp John SmithNorthern Constabulary | |
| The court heard that seconds before the crash Macpherson's passengers - who also included Ms Paterson's daughters aged 15 and 10 - begged him to slow down as the speedometer reached 130mph. | |
| District procurator fiscal for Dingwall, Stella Swan, said the case showed the devastating effect that road offences have on friends and families. | |
| She added: "I hope it will be of some comfort to the family that justice has now been done in this case with the man responsible for causing this horrific crash behind bars." | |
| The head of the Northern Constabulary's road policing section, Insp John Smith, said Macpherson's conviction reflected the gravity of his actions. | |
| He said: "The actions of Macpherson in travelling at such high speeds on a rural Highland road had a devastating outcome and left a scene of death and destruction. | |
| "The consequence of his driving has left two of his passengers without their mother and grandmother and the mental trauma they suffered in this collision will remain with them forever." | |
| Ms Paterson, deputy matron in a nursing home, had collected the Peugeot 406 from a garage in Inverness. | |
| That night, after dinner, Macpherson took the car for a drive with Mrs McGarvie in the front passenger seat and his partner sitting behind him with the two girls. | |
| 'A blur' | |
| They drove along the B9163 Balblair to Culbokie road for a time, before they turned and headed back towards their then home in Balblair. | |
| Part of the route was a long, straight section of road ending in a hump-backed bridge with stone parapets. | |
| Although the speed limit was 60mph MacPherson began to accelerate along the straight. | |
| The court heard that the 10-year-old girl said later that the speed of the vehicle was such that she could see nothing but "a blur" outside. | |
| The 15-year-old said she could see the speedometer read 130mph before Macpherson lost control of the car. | |
| The smash brought neighbours to the scene, including nurse Evelyn Forbes who found that Ms Paterson was dead. | |
| Mrs McGarvie suffered a serious head injury and died two days later in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. | |
| The older of the two girls suffered a badly smashed arm and broken leg, while the younger had her ankle broken. |