HGV driver sentenced over death of French cyclist in Glasgow

A lorry driver who admitted killing a French cyclist by careless driving has been given a community sentence.

Paul Mowat, 69, ran over student Emma Burke Newman, 22, in Glasgow in January last year as he turned left at traffic lights.

He said he did not see Ms Burke Newman who was dragged 53m (174ft).

The court heard that Mowat held her hand and apologised before an ambulance arrived but she died of her injuries in hospital.

An earlier hearing was told that Mowat's windscreen and mirrors were dirty and his view was obstructed by a reversing camera.

Mowat, from Govanhill in Glasgow, whose previous driving record was "exemplary" was ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months when he appeared for sentence at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Matthew Jackson KC said the offence fell into the level B sentencing guidelines which results in a community payback order being applied.

He cited Mowat's own health issues and that he is the carer for his wife.

The sheriff added: "I learned today that after leaving his cab, Mr Mowat held Emma's hand and apologised to her, reassuring her that help was on its way.

"This is important information learned late in the day and I suspect this is due to Mr Mowat's reluctance to speak up about this matter."

The court earlier heard that Ms Burke Newman was born in France to American parents who moved there in 1994.

She moved to Scotland in September 2022 to study architecture at Glasgow School of Art.

Following her death, her parents Rose Marie Burke and John Newman called on the Scottish government for greater protection for cyclists.

After the sentencing they told BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme their daughter had been an "exceptional human being".

"She's also compassionate - she's one of these people if you were alone in the lunch room, she'd sit down next to you. She would take a new kid under her arm - she was just a loving person as well," Ms Burke said.

They said they felt Glasgow was about a decade behind their home city of Paris when it came to safer cycling routes, and they hoped their calls for improvements would be their daughter's legacy.

"Traffic seems to be a little more aggressive here - it seems like you haven't quite got used to cyclists as part of the general environment yet, but we're hopeful that things will change," Mr Newman said.

CCTV shown to the court revealed that the lorry and a bus had both crossed a cycle space line at the junction.

As the lorry turned into the Broomielaw, its bumper caught the pannier rack of Ms Burke Newman's bike, causing her to fall.

Crash investigators found she had put herself in a vulnerable position due to her proximity to the lorry, but the driver would have been able to see her had he checked the blind spot behind his reversing camera screen.

Gareth Reid, defending, said: "Mr Mowat recognises he devastation and grief that will be endured by Emma's friends and family.

"He accepts responsibility for the incident and the error which occurred as a result of entering the cycle box and the failure to observe Emma's position at the junction.

"He was a driver of HGV vehicles for 40 years and had a driving licence for longer than that. He has no intention of driving heavy goods vehicles again.

"Mr Mowat offers sincere apologies to Emma's family."