News / Drink driver admits killing father of three
A DRUNKEN partygoer who knocked down and killed a father as he walked home from a party last summer pled guilty to causing death by drink driving at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.
The court heard that 21 year old John Pottinger, known as Jamie, from South Whiteness, was so drunk he stalled his Volkswagen Golf eight times before he set off on his fatal drive on 15 June.
Pottinger had been at a disco at the Burra public hall after a day of drinking, and was seen at 11.30pm drinking lager from his boot.
Later he struck and killed 39 year old George Armour who had been at the disco with members of his family. He leaves behind a partner, a nine year old son and two step sons.
The court heard that the victim and members of his family had left the disco when it ended at 1am and been invited to a party across the road.
Meanwhile Pottinger had been persuaded to drive to a different party on the neighbouring island of Trondra and had agreed to take four teenage friends with him.
Advocate depute Paul Brown, prosecuting, said: “The accused was then seen by a witness to be sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle drinking and trying to start his car.
“He managed to move the vehicle a short distance partially on to the road, but stalled in the middle of the carriageway.
“He tried to restart the car and stalled around eight times.”
An onlooker drove the car a short distance for him before he got back in and made off in the direction of Scalloway.
The court heard that his passengers were concerned about his erratic driving when they set off with “smoke billowing” and the car bouncing over speed bumps.
Two friends told Pottinger he was driving too fast and yelled at him to slow down as the approached the brow of the hill immediately before the collision.
Brown told the court: “The front seat passenger said that the vehicle at this point bumped up on the left hand verge and he could see a man, who was the now deceased Mr Armour, walking on that verge away from them.
“The car continued on the verge and struck Mr Armour who was thrown up and over the bonnet of the vehicle.
“A pedestrian who was walking ahead of the vehicle on the verge heard the sound of a car travelling fast, excessive music coming from the car and then a bang. They did not hear any braking prior to the collision.”
Instead of stopping, Pottinger continued down an embankment and into a field and despite cries to stop, kept driving.
It was only when one of his friends pulled the handbrake that the car came to a halt.
All four passengers got out the car and ran back to the victim while Pottinger drove off. Emergency services were contacted and Pottinger was later traced by police, with the help of his friends.
When police approached him he said: “Just tell me is he dead?”, before naming himself as the driver of the car.
When he gave breath specimens just after 4am in the morning he gave a reading of 89, twice the drink drive limit of 35. Under the new legislation he would have been four times the drink drive limit.
Pathologists who carried out a post mortem found the victim suffered a head injury which involved a severe skull fracture and severing of the nerve connectors in his brain. The head injuries were severe and not survivable.
Sentence was deferred on Pottinger until next month.
Ashlie McAnally
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