Trial date for Borrowston crash accused

Road traffic expert to figure in defence case at Wick trial

A WICK man is due to go on trial next week accused of causing the death of a motorcyclist by careless driving.
Anthony Palmer, 57, of 11 Malcolm Street, Wick, pleads not guilty. The indictment alleges that he failed to keep a proper lookout and turned his van into the path of Brent Larnach’s bike, resulting in a collision which claimed his life.
The accident occurred on the A99 Wick-Latheron road, at Borrowston, near the village of Thrumster, on April 28, last year.
Sheriff Andrew Berry was advised yesterday that both the prosecution and defence cases are prepared for the trial, at Wick Sheriff Court, on Monday, and that a joint agreement of evidence, has resulted in the original witness list of 34, being slashed to 11.
The trial, at Wick Sheriff Court, is now reckoned to last no more than four days. A total of 12 productions have been lodged, including reports from a road traffic expert.
Mr Larnach, a 28-year-old offshore worker, known as Freddie, lived with his father, Noel, at Mid-Clyth. The motor cyclist and his girlfriend, Leanne Sutherland, had been building a house next to the family bungalow where they hoped to live with their two children.