Fake TikTok lawyer Leigh Sutherland, 31, was speeding in a defective Ford Mondeo near Cumbernauld when he crashed into Margaret Allan, 77 – and then tried to blame her
A man who posed as a traffic solicitor on TikTok has been locked up for nine years after he fatally struck a pensioner in a devastating smash. Leigh Sutherland was speeding in a Ford Mondeo with faulty brakes when the collision ohappened on the Condorrat Ring Road near Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire on June 15 2023.
The 31-year-old smashed into a Peugeot 108 being driven by Margaret Allan. The 77-year-old mum later died tragically from her wounds.
A young passenger was also injured, reports the Daily Record. Heartless Sutherland attempted to pin the blame on the elderly woman, declaring at the scene: “It would not have happened if the f****** b**** had not pulled out.”
Sutherland was jailed after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving at a previous hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.
He’s also been slapped with a driving prohibition lasting over 13 years. Sutherland was notorious on TikTok for uploading a string of outlandish clips pretending to be a defence solicitor, disguising himself as a copper, and critiquing supermarket food.
PC Lawrence Meldrum previously informed jurors how he’d been patrolling the vicinity that afternoon when he noticed a crash in his rear-view mirror.
He returned and initially discovered the Peugeot “extremely damaged”. The constable said the elderly female motorist had blood on her head and appeared “confused and dazed”.
The youngster was seated in the passenger seat. Sutherland was seen strolling away from the wreckage.
He insisted he needed time to gather his thoughts. However, PC Meldrum managed to apprehend him shortly after he blamed Margaret for the incident and repeatedly insulted the officer.
Tragically, Margaret never recovered and passed away a few weeks later.
An investigation into the crash revealed that the anti-lock braking system in the 12-year-old Mondeo was faulty. The car’s battery was also reportedly unsecured.
Sutherland had been driving at least 44mph in a 40mph zone around the time of the collision, but his speed was likely higher when he began to brake.
Other drivers present that day remarked on his excessive speed. In his address to the jury, prosecutor Adrian Stalker stated that Sutherland’s driving was dangerous and “not just a lack of judgement or momentary inattention”.
He further noted that Sutherland was “going far too fast” in what was described as a “defective” car. Sutherland, originally from Cumbernauld but recently residing in Newcastle, was handed a nine-year prison sentence and a driving ban of over 13 years.