A TRACTOR driver whose careless driving caused an accident in which another man died was banned from the road and fined at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.

Members of the dead man’s family wept in court after Sheriff Lindsay Foulis sentenced Ian Edward Smith, reminding him the six-month ban and £400 fine reflected his level of carelessness, rather than its consequences.

Smith (38), of Daleally Crescent, Errol, pleaded guilty to driving his tractor carelessly on the A94 Perth-to-Forfar road near its junction with the unclassified road to Ardler on September 1.

He collided with a van driven by Andrew Peebles, of Hawthorn Bank, Wolfhill, whereby the vehicles were damaged and Mr Peebles was fatally injured.

Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson said Smith was pulling a trailer load of turnips on the A94 when he came up behind a slower- moving tractor and trailer on a clear stretch of road and decided to overtake.

“He saw the van being driven by Mr Peebles coming in the opposite direction and decided there was sufficient time to complete the overtaking manoeuvre,” he said. He overtook, got his tractor back to the correct side of the road but not the trailer and the van drove straight into it.

“Mr Peebles suffered multiple injuries which unfortunately cost him his life.”

Smith’s solicitor, Ann Bonomy, said he was a farm worker who drove tractors for a living.

She said, “He wants to make clear from the outset how sorry he is. He accepts on reflection it was careless to manoeuvre his vehicle the way he did and he showed poor judgment and the accident took place. The memory and consequences of the accident will remain with him.”

She said her client will lose his job as a result of his ban, leaving his family with no means of transport.

Sentencing, the sheriff said, “While I can’t take account of what the consequences of your misjudg- ment were, I can, in assessing the degree of carelessness, consider what the potential consequences will be if the driving falls below the standard.

“In these circumstances... I consider a period of disqualification appropriate.”