Banned driver in stolen Maserati who killed pensioner jailed

A disqualified driver who caused the death of a great-grandfather after crashing into his garden in a stolen Maserati sports car has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years.

Fraser Garden killed 74-year-old John Bell, also known as Jack, in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, when the crash happened in April.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told Garden, who had 90 previous convictions and two previous lifetime driving bans, had taken cocaine and was driving at almost three times the speed limit.

Judge Lord Braid told the 55-year-old that he had stolen the life of a man in what should have been the sanctuary of his own garden.

Garden previously admitted to causing Bell's death by dangerous driving.

The court was told that Garden had been released on bail over multiple shoplifting charges a week before the fatal crash.

On the day of the collision he had stolen a Maserati Quattroporte from the nearby West End Garage.

He drove the car at speed, overtaking vehicles and forcing his way between oncoming traffic on various Broughty Ferry roads.

Garden then drove through a red light before speeding up a hill on the wrong side of the road and losing control of the car.

The Maserati clipped the kerb, hit a traffic island, and crashed through a hedge into Bell's garden, hitting the pensioner and pinning him to a wall.

The court heard that Bell was pronounced dead at the scene.

Garden later tested negative for alcohol but positive for cocaine, and refused to give a blood sample when he was taken to hospital.

Data downloaded from the car by police revealed it had been travelling at 85mph (136km/h) in a 30mph (48km/h) zone in the 3.5 seconds before the collision.

The court was told previously that John Bell was married with three children, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

He had retired in 2020 after almost 30 years working as a taxi driver, and had previously worked as a bus conductor.