American historian killed by van driver who mounted pavement while high on cannabis
Darren Gilmour failed to control the van he was driving and mounted a pavement before colliding with Dr William Noel on Trinity Crescent in Edinburgh on April 10 last year
The victim died 19 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after sustaining severe head trauma following the collision.
A judge told Gilmour, 42, that he would have faced a six-year prison term but for his guilty plea to causing the death of Dr Noel by dangerous driving.
Dr Noel, 58, from Philadelphia in America, was in Edinburgh in his role as an associate librarian for special collections at Princeton University.
Lord Cubie said that a victim impact statement from the deceased's brother made it clear that 'his sudden and unexpected death so far from home was a catastrophic event'.
The former Cambridge University student left a wife and teenage son, and the family had to deal with 'the almost unbearable decision to switch off life support', said the judge.
Lord Cubie said: 'The loss was and is, as I have said, devastating.'
The judge said that Gilmour's recreational cannabis use was 'troubling' and added that the case was an example of the folly and danger of a driver being distracted by a mobile phone.
Gilmour, formerly of Dalkeith, in Midlothian, had earlier admitted causing the death by dangerous driving while under the influence of cannabis and repeatedly interacting with his mobile phone.
He failed to maintain proper observations of the road ahead and failed to keep control of the van, which mounted the pavement and struck pedestrian Dr Noel and clipped a woman colleague.
Lord Cubie said that the deceased had no chance to take evasive action before he was hit.
Advocate depute Alex Prentice KC said: 'As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system.'
Dr Noel was lifted onto the bonnet of the vehicle and hit the windscreen before landing on the ground. An off-duty doctor and a passing nurse went to his aid before he was taken to hospital. Gilmour was uninjured in the collision
The victim's wife was contacted in Pennsylvania and flew to Scotland to be with her husband in his final days.
The court heard that Gilmour, a cabinet maker, was found to have 2.4 mg of THC from cannabis per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2 mg.
Defence counsel Tony Graham KC said of Gilmour: 'He is an unextraordinary man who has led an unextraordinary life.'
He said Gilmour has expressed genuine remorse and added: 'Sorry is not enough. Sorry will do little to satisfy those who are bereaved.'
The defence counsel added that actions spoke louder than words in such a situation, and Gilmour took the only action available to him to address the situation he placed himself in by pleading guilty.
Dr Noel, a medievalist, was described as 'a scholar of note' in a tribute by a professor at Cambridge University and was honoured by the Obama White House for his commitment to open science.
Gilmour was also banned from driving for eight years and three months and required to sit an extended test before driving again
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
4 days ago
- Times
Van driver killed historian after mounting kerb while high on cannabis
A van driver who was under the influence of cannabis and was using his phone when he killed a distinguished American academic has been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Darren Gilmour failed to control the van he was driving and mounted a pavement before colliding with Dr William Noel in Trinity Crescent in Edinburgh on April 10 last year. Noel, 58, died 19 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after sustaining severe head trauma in the collision. Darren Gilmour was found to be over the legal limit for THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis GLASGOW COURT PRESS AGENCY Lord Justice Cubie told Gilmour, 42, that he would have faced a six-year prison sentence but for his guilty plea to causing the death of Noel by dangerous driving. Noel, from Philadelphia, was in Edinburgh in his role as an associate librarian for special collections at Princeton University. The judge said that a victim impact statement from Noel's brother made it clear that 'his sudden and unexpected death so far from home was a catastrophic event'.
STV News
5 days ago
- STV News
American historian killed by van driver who mounted pavement while high on cannabis
A van driver who was under the influence of cannabis and using his mobile phone when he killed a distinguished academic has been jailed for four and a half years. Darren Gilmour failed to control the van he was driving and mounted a pavement before colliding with Dr William Noel on Trinity Crescent in Edinburgh on April 10 last year The victim died 19 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after sustaining severe head trauma following the collision. A judge told Gilmour, 42, that he would have faced a six-year prison term but for his guilty plea to causing the death of Dr Noel by dangerous driving. Dr Noel, 58, from Philadelphia in America, was in Edinburgh in his role as an associate librarian for special collections at Princeton University. Lord Cubie said that a victim impact statement from the deceased's brother made it clear that 'his sudden and unexpected death so far from home was a catastrophic event'. The former Cambridge University student left a wife and teenage son, and the family had to deal with 'the almost unbearable decision to switch off life support', said the judge. Lord Cubie said: 'The loss was and is, as I have said, devastating.' The judge said that Gilmour's recreational cannabis use was 'troubling' and added that the case was an example of the folly and danger of a driver being distracted by a mobile phone. Gilmour, formerly of Dalkeith, in Midlothian, had earlier admitted causing the death by dangerous driving while under the influence of cannabis and repeatedly interacting with his mobile phone. He failed to maintain proper observations of the road ahead and failed to keep control of the van, which mounted the pavement and struck pedestrian Dr Noel and clipped a woman colleague. Lord Cubie said that the deceased had no chance to take evasive action before he was hit. Advocate depute Alex Prentice KC said: 'As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system.' Dr Noel was lifted onto the bonnet of the vehicle and hit the windscreen before landing on the ground. An off-duty doctor and a passing nurse went to his aid before he was taken to hospital. Gilmour was uninjured in the collision The victim's wife was contacted in Pennsylvania and flew to Scotland to be with her husband in his final days. The court heard that Gilmour, a cabinet maker, was found to have 2.4 mg of THC from cannabis per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2 mg. Defence counsel Tony Graham KC said of Gilmour: 'He is an unextraordinary man who has led an unextraordinary life.' He said Gilmour has expressed genuine remorse and added: 'Sorry is not enough. Sorry will do little to satisfy those who are bereaved.' The defence counsel added that actions spoke louder than words in such a situation, and Gilmour took the only action available to him to address the situation he placed himself in by pleading guilty. Dr Noel, a medievalist, was described as 'a scholar of note' in a tribute by a professor at Cambridge University and was honoured by the Obama White House for his commitment to open science. Gilmour was also banned from driving for eight years and three months and required to sit an extended test before driving again Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Driver jailed for fatal crash while looking at phone in Edinburgh
A van driver who was under the influence of cannabis and using his mobile phone when he killed a top academic in Edinburgh has been jailed for four-and-a-half Gilmour mounted the pavement before hitting Dr William Noel in Trinity Crescent on 10 April last Noel died 19 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after sustaining severe head injuries in the Cubie told Gilmour, 42, at the High Court in Edinburgh he would have faced a six-year prison term but for his guilty plea to causing the death of Dr Noel by dangerous driving. Gilmour was also banned from driving for eight years and three months and will be required to sit an extended test before he can drive again. Honoured by the White House Dr Noel, 58, from the US city of Philadelphia, was in Edinburgh in his role as an associate librarian for special collections at Princeton Cubie said a victim impact statement from Dr Noel's brother made it clear "his sudden and unexpected death so far from home was a catastrophic event".The former Cambridge University student left a wife and teenage son and the family had to deal with "the almost unbearable decision to switch off life support", said the from Midlothian, earlier admitted causing the death by dangerous driving while under the influence of cannabis and repeatedly using his mobile court heard Gilmour, a cabinet maker, was found to have 2.4 mg of THC from cannabis per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2 counsel Tony Graham KC said of Gilmour: "He is an unextraordinary man who has led an unextraordinary life."He said Gilmour had expressed genuine remorse and added: "Sorry is not enough. Sorry will do little to satisfy those who are bereaved."Dr Noel, a medievalist, was described as "a scholar of note" in a tribute by a professor at Cambridge University. He had previously been honoured during President Obama's time at the White House for his commitment to open science.
