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A drunk driver killed a pedestrian and fled 65 miles from the scene with a broken windscreen.
Robert Brown, 26, collided with James Harris, 61, near the village of Taynuilt, Argyll and Bute, on Oct. 10, 2021.
Brown drank alcohol at a hotel before getting behind the wheel of his Skoda car.
Brown then beat Mr. Harris and left him before travelling to Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire.
He later claimed to police that he thought he hit a deer despite looking up a news report on the incident.
Brown pleaded guilty in the Glasgow High Court to causing Mr. Harris’ death by dangerous driving.
Brown wept over the court’s account of events and was remanded in custody awaiting sentencing next month.
The court heard that dad-of-two Mr Harris had been at a friend’s birthday party with his wife.
Mr. Harris, a ferry driver, left the party at the end of the night and took the “dark” road onto an unlit street.
Brown, from Shotts, Lanarkshire, is meanwhile staying at a hotel in Taynuilt on business.
CCTV showed Brown drinking alcohol and shooting before leaving the hotel with his belongings at around 12:15 a. m.
The exact main points of the collision are unknown, as there were no eyewitnesses. The twist of fate happened around 00:30 hours.
Prosecutor Gavin Anderson stated Mr Harris was walking east towards the east bound lane.
Mr. Anderson: “The passenger door hit the curb as he returned to the lane.
“The nearside bumper came into contact with Mr Harris’ legs – the bumper and headlamp were damaged.
“Mr. Harris’ legs and lower abdomen came into contact with the Skoda, causing damage to the vehicle.
“Mr Harris’ lower left leg came into contact with the nearside front wing.
“The back of his head came into contact with the side A-pillar, where it meets the top of the windshield.
“He was ejected from the Skoda and into the northbound lane before coming to a stop along the edge of the grass. “
Brown said he exceeded the speed limit by 30 miles per hour.
A member of the public, Mr. Harris, on the road, unconscious and with a serious head injury, after 1 a. m.
A 999 call was made and Mr. Harris was pronounced dead at 1:39 a. m. Anderson said Mr. Harris “immediately died” after the collision.
He discovered that he had suffered several skull fractures, several rib fractures, a fractured spleen, and a fractured pelvis.
Mr. Harris’ cause of death was cited as “multiple injuries caused by a twist of fate from a motor vehicle – a pedestrian. “
Brown drove 65 miles to Dumbarton, where he made 32 calls to his parents.
His car was later recovered and found that there was “a broken windshield with no clear visibility. “
Police traced Brown to his home when he became upset and told officers: “I thought I hit a deer.”
Brown’s phone was later analysed and found to have searched the internet for news in the Oban and Taynuilt areas.
He accessed a report about a “man who died after an early morning hit-and-run in Taynuilt. “
Tony Lenehan KC, the advocate, told the court that his consumer received a call that night from his pregnant wife alerting him to a medical problem.
The advocate said: “He took the decision that he should go back.”
Judge Lord Scott told Brown that he will receive a custodial sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh and disqualified him from driving meantime.
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