A TikTok creator who caused a crash that killed a grandmother and then told police a ‘cock and bull story’ has been jailed for nine years.
Leigh Sutherland, 31, was speeding a car with dodgy brakes through school run traffic in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, when he ploughed into pensioner Margaret Allan in her car.
The 77-year-old was driving her 10-year-old grandson back from school on June 15, 2023, while Sutherland was banned so should never have been behind the wheel.
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Sutherland, who often posed as a road traffic lawyer on social media, had ignored warnings that the anti-lock braking system on his Ford Mondeo was not working.
He was also driving with an unsecured battery and speeding excessively on the Condorrat Ring Road when he collided with Ms Allan’s Peugeot 108.
A court heard that immediately after the crash, Sutherland walked away from the scene until he was grabbed by police, and then made ‘derogatory’ comments about his victim.
He said: ‘It would not have happened if the f****** b**** had not pulled out.’
Sutherland was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in October.
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Leigh Sutherland, 31, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after a crash that killed a pensioner
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Margaret Allan, 77, died weeks after Sutherland ploughed into her car
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He posted videos about the fatal crash while on remand.
Also known as Lee Sutherland, his other TikTok videos include bizarre scenes where he dresses up as a police officer and pretends to be a defence lawyer.
Sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, Judge Thomas Hughes said Sutherland ‘came up with a cock and bull story’ about the crash after Ms Allan’s death almost a month later.
Judge Hughes said: ‘Your attitude was totally and utterly unacceptable, you proceeded to walk away from the area, paying no regard to those you injured and left them to their fate.
‘Police officers had to stop you to stop you walking away from the incident. You made derogatory and abusive comments about Ms Allan, you swore at officers, they had to caution you.
‘After Ms Allan’s death, officers would have to speak to you and identify who was driver. You came up with a cock and bull story and told police you had advertised the car for sale, a Romanian man you could not identify took the car for a test drive and as that was going on the accident happened.
‘You took no responsibility. Whilst on remand you posted videos on the internet about this matter, all actions totally inappropriate for someone facing such serious matters.’
He added: ‘You should have been helping the people you caused these problems to. Your conduct made matters worse.’
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Sutherland was sentenced to nine years in prison
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Margaret Allan’s family pay tribute to her outside the court
The court heard Sutherland was on bail at the time of the crash, and had to relocate from Cumbernauld due to threats made against him on the internet.
The judge added: ‘Police officers who investigated the state of your car noticed problems with braking system and indicated that must have been quite clear to you, and anyone driving should immediately stop and seek assistance.
‘You carried on driving and became involved in the catastrophic incident that happened here.’
Sutherland was jailed for nine years and was disqualified from driving for 13 years and six months.
Police Scotland previously said Sutherland had been banned from driving for six months just a week before the crash, and tried to leave the scene without giving his details to officers.
Defending, Graham Brown said Sutherland continued to ‘protest his innocence’ during interviews for a criminal justice social work report.
He said Sutherland’s life had been ‘dictated by autistic spectrum disorder’ and he had worked ‘sporadically’.
Sergeant Andy Coutts, of North Lanarkshire roads policing, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Margaret’s family, who have been dignified and strong throughout this tragic ordeal.
‘Sutherland’s actions showed a blatant disregard for other road users and the law, and since the incident he has showed no remorse.
‘We hope the court’s decision brings some peace to the family.’
During the trial, PC Lawrence Meldrum told jurors he saw the immediate aftermath of the crash because he had been driving just ahead and noticed it in his rear-view mirror.
He drove back and to find the Peugeot ‘extremely damaged’ and a bloodied Ms Allan ‘confused and dazed’.
Sutherland has been a prolific TikTok creator and posted scores of videos where he often pretended to be a person of authority.
His bizarre content ranged from offering dubious legal advice while dressed as a lawyer to threatening ‘a good spanking’ across the kneecaps as a police officer.
Sutherland had a particular interest in driving and road traffic laws.
One of his videos purports to teach people how to keep their licence even after notching up 12 points.
