A police officer has been ordered to do 225 hours of unpaid community work after his speeding van knocked down and killed a mum of three.
PC Jamie Hamill was travelling at more than 50 miles an hour in a built-up area shortly before the fatal crash in Motherwell.
He frantically tried to save Margaret McCarron by carrying out CPR, but the 58-year-old was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.
Hamill, 32, admitted causing Margaret’s death by driving carelessly and exceeding the speed limit on September 19, 2021.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard he was driving a police Ford Transit van in Motherwell town centre around 8.20pm.
Hamill activated his blue light to follow a driver suspected of having no insurance, but lost sight of the vehicle.
He switched off the blue light then he and a colleague decided to drive to the suspect’s home.
Niall Macdonald, prosecuting, said CCTV showed Hamill driving at 52 miles an hour in an area where the speed limit is 30.
He slowed down as he travelled along Merry Street and his speed was recorded as 39.95 miles an hour “near the point of collision”.
Mr Macdonald told the court: “Margaret McCarron had left her home to buy some items at the Esso petrol station on Merry Street.
“This is a walk of some five minutes. Her husband said they had been consuming alcohol but she was not drunk.
“She was standing at the other side of the road from the oncoming police van, waiting to cross.
“She let four cars and a large van pass and was stationary for about 20 seconds before starting to cross the road.
“Margaret crossed one lane but was then struck by the accused’s van. A taxi driver said she had reached the middle of the road and was trying to hurry.
“The accused did not react to her presence. He and his colleague, PC David Waddell, got out of their van and found Margaret lying unconscious and not breathing.
“The accused did CPR while PC Waddell stopped other vehicles. The accused also radioed for an ambulance, saying ‘Someone has walked out in front of the van’. He was visibly upset.
“Margaret was taken to hospital, but there were no signs of life and she was pronounced dead.
“The cause of death was severe neck and chest injuries.”
The fatal crash was referred to the Police Investigation and Review Commissioner.
A report concluded that “dazzle from oncoming lights would have undermined the ability of the accused to see Margaret once she had entered the road”.
But Mr Macdonald said Hamill’s speed meant the risk of a fatality was four times higher than if he had been driving at 30 miles an hour.
The fiscal added: “The risk of death was significantly or materially higher than it would have been had he been complying with the speed limit.”
Murdo Macleod KC, defending, said Hamill, of Strathaven, expressed “profound and genuine remorse”.
He suggested the level of carelessness was near the “lower level of the scale” for such a case.
Mr Macleod said Hamill “might have forgotten” there was a speed limit of 30 as he was on a “long, straight road”.
The dad of two has a conviction from 2014 for using a phone while driving.
Sherif Louise Gallacher said Margaret, who worked as a carer, had spent her life looking after other people and was much-loved by her family.
She told Hamill: “Her death has caused immense pain and left a void that cannot be filled. Nothing I say or do can compensate.”
The sheriff accepted the officer had shown remorse, adding: “References describe you as a hard-working, caring person and a loving father.
“By pleading guilty you have saved Mrs McCarron’s family the trauma of going through a trial.”
Hamill was given a year to complete the unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for 21 months.
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