Drivers guilty of causing Shona McKinlay's death in Ayrshire crash

Rory Nimmo and John Clark raced each other on the A70 near Ayr in the early hours of October 28, 2022.

Nimmo, 26, was behind the wheel of his souped-up Audi TT when he lost control and smashed into a Renault Kangoo van driven by Shona McKinlay.

The 46-year-old tragically never survived the smash.

Nimmo and Clark, 43, each denied a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Trucker Clark even claimed he had been the victim of "mistaken identity" and had not been involved in the collision.

But the duo were found guilty on Wednesday, December 3 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

They were remanded in custody and face a lengthy jail term when they are sentenced in the New Year.

Prosecutors said Nimmo and Clark did "engage in a race with each other" around 6am that morning and were going at "grossly excessive speeds".

They were estimated to be going at 111mph at one stage.

Nimmo's car was described as "extensively modified". The Audi, however, was said to have tyres below the legal minimum tread.

Clark, meantime, was driving a Ford Focus.

Nimmo overtook Clark when it was unsafe to do so and ended up on the wrong side of the road.

Clark was said to have gone faster in a bid to stop him carrying out the manoeuvre.

The reckless pair then took a bend at speed before Nimmo suddenly applied his brakes and lost control of his motor.

He then collided with Miss McKinlay's van on the opposite side of the road.

The much-loved mum was left so badly hurt that she did not survive.

In his evidence, Nimmo, of Cumnock, denied racing anyone or having been "desperate" to get past the Ford Focus.

Clark, of Drongan, accepted in his testimony that he had been on that stretch of road on his way to work that morning - but claimed it was at a different time to the crash.

He was traced more than a week after the incident.

His lawyer Derek Pettigrew put to him: "How do you feel about the suggestion that you helped cause this accident?"

He replied: "Horrible."

Clark added someone would need to be "pretty low" to drive off from the scene of a crash and that it would be "suicidal" to go at such speeds.

He later told prosecutor Tracey Brown that the first he heard about the fatality was on social media.

But, denying his guilt, Clark insisted: "I think it is a case of mistaken identity."

In her closing speech, Miss Brown said Miss McKinlay died following a "catastrophic loss of control" by Nimmo.

She said: "The Crown case is that this was no slight misjudgement."

The advocate depute stated Clark was also guilty of the charge for his role in what occurred.

The pair's legal team had asked for each to remain on bail pending sentencing.

But Judge Douglas Brown said: "Given the inevitability of a custodial sentence, you will be remanded in custody."

Reports of the incident at the time revealed how the road had been closed off for 11 hours as police investigated.

A number of tributes to Miss McKinlay were made on social media.

She was described in one as a "beautiful and amazing person both inside and out".