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Dear Edric,
Success – Gary McCourt’s sentence will be appealed!
Today CTC and the Fyfe family were notified that the Crown Counsel in Edinburgh has appealed McCourt’s sentence. The family are delighted that the Crown Counsel made the right decision and are overwhelmed by the level of support shown by the public.
Only a handful of sentences are appealed in Scotland each year. Thank you for helping make this one of them.
Your email to the Lord Advocate was one of 6010 that were sent in support of an appeal. This enormous response has never been seen before by CTC and we believe contributed significantly to the Crown Counsel’s decision. Thank you so much for your support.
The appeal has now been sent to the High Court of the Justiciary who will receive a report from Sheriff James Scott within the next 8 weeks explaining why he thought 300 hours of community service and a five year driving ban was an appropriate sentence for a double-killer driver. The High Court will make their decision whether the sentence should be changed or not in the autumn. CTC and the Fyfe family hope McCourt is given a lifetime driving ban. We will keep you updated on the High Court’s decision.
This case clearly demonstrates the need to maintain pressure on the legal system to take bad driving seriously in order to protect the lives of vulnerable road users.
Today’s result coincides with preparations for the launch of a national campaign from CTC called ‘Road Justice’ to continue campaigning for a more appropriate and effective response to bad driving. Go to http://www.roadjustice.org.uk to find out more.
Once again thank you for your part in the campaign.
Yours sincerely,
Rhia Weston
