For free, real-time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our breaking news emails
Sign up for our free breaking news emails
The investigation into the deaths of a couple who went undetected for days after crashing off the M9 motorway in Scotland begins on Monday.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) will take place at Falkirk Sheriff Court into the deaths of Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28.
Ms Bell and Mr Yuill both died after the car they were in crashed on the motorway near Stirling in July 2015.
They remained stranded in their Renault Clio for three days before being discovered, despite police having previously been informed of the incident.
At a preliminary hearing in January, Murdo Macleod KC, representing Police Scotland, lodged an application to delay the start of the full investigation because former police chief Sir Iain Livingstone had made a “significant commitment” as a “principal participant” in the ongoing investigation into his death by Sheku Bayoh – who died in police custody in 2015.
The investigation is expected to take “a number of weeks.”
This comes after Ms Bell’s family were awarded more than £1 million in damages in a civil settlement by Police Scotland in December 2021.
Police were fined £100,000 at the High Court in Edinburgh in September that year after pleading guilty to health and safety failings which “significantly” contributed to Ms Bell’s death.
The court heard how Ms Bell pleaded for help after she was found and would likely have survived had she been rescued sooner.
Sir Iain apologized to the families of Mr Yuill and Ms Bell after the trial.
When her car was discovered on July 8, 2015, Mr Yuill was pronounced dead at the scene and Ms Bell died in hospital four days later.
Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Log in
Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Log in
A member of the public had reported the crashed vehicle to police on July 5, but no action was taken until three days later when another member of the public noticed the car, heard Ms Bell pleading for help and called police.
Similar to an investigation in England and Wales, an FAI is not a criminal investigation but is designed to establish facts rather than assign blame.
Following a thorough and detailed investigation and prosecution, this fatal accident investigation will examine the full circumstances of these tragic deaths and help prevent such an incident from occurring again
Andy Shanks – Financial Prosecutor
Its purpose is to determine the cause of death and the circumstances under which the death occurred and to determine what reasonable precautions could have been taken to minimize the risk of future deaths under similar circumstances.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads the death investigation for COPFS, said: “Following a thorough and detailed investigation and prosecution, this fatal accident inquiry will examine the full circumstances of these tragic deaths and help prevent such an incident from occurring again.”
“The families of Lamara Bell and John Yuill and their legal representatives will continue to be kept informed as the investigation progresses.”
Source : www.independent.co.uk