Driver jailed for causing friend's death in 108mph crash

A driver who caused the death of a teenage friend in a 108mph crash has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Ben Taylor, 19, was a passenger in an Audi RS3 when Josh Buchan lost control of the car on the outskirts of Aberdeen in 2022.

Buchan, 26, admitted causing the teenager's death, as well as driving at speeds of up to 125mph on a previous occasion.

The victim's mother, Trudi Walsh, said she hoped that people would learn a lesson about the dangers of driving too fast.

Judge Buchanan said Buchan had been "appallingly reckless" and also banned him from driving for 10 years and 11 months.

Advocate depute Lindsey Dalziel, for the Crown, had previously told the court about the "devastating" loss suffered by Taylor's family.

Buchan, from Aberdeen, had been driving a black high-performance Audi RS3, which had a top speed of 155mph, at the time of the crash.

He lost control on a bend before the car became airborne and crashed into trees.

Buchan and another passenger were able to get out, but Taylor died inside the car from his head injuries.

It was agreed that the car had been travelling at 108mph as it approached the bend, and that the impact with the trees would have happened at about 93mph.

Collision investigators said it had been the manner of Buchan's driving that had led to the loss of control.

The court heard that Taylor's mother later found a video clip which showed the Audi dashboard and a speed of up to 125mph on a previous occasion.

Buchan accepted it was him driving and that the clip had been filmed in the Aberdeen area.

The first offender was originally charged with driving at speeds of up to 194mph on previous occasions, and driving at up to 118mph before the fatal crash on South Deeside Road.

Buchan admitted amended charges of driving at up to 125mph on a previous occasion, and causing the death of his rear seat passenger in September 2022 by driving dangerously on the B9077 road at up to 108mph.

Defence counsel Neil Shand said the mechanic - who appeared via video link - had regarded Ben Taylor as his closest friend.

He said the consequences of Buchan's "stupid and reckless" driving would "live with him forever more".

He said Buchan - who had lost his hair, which he put down to stress and worry - recognised there was no alternative to a significant custodial sentence, and would pay a "heavy price" for what he had done.

Judge Buchanan said everyone recognised the impact of Buchan's actions and his "disgracefully" high speed.

Taylor's mother Trudi Walsh described her son as "a generous soul" and said that things would "never get easier" for the family.

She also has twin sons Jon and Sam, who are aged 21.

Walsh said: "Most importantly, I want this to be a lesson for other people, such as Josh, that there are consequences. I just don't want it to be wasted.

"I just want people to think twice before they go out. There's too many of these accidents happening now.

"I know Josh is somebody else's son, but driving like that is a choice. And the way he was driving, he'd have been as well having a gun that day."