A man who admitted causing the deaths of two of his friends in a horror road smash as they returned from a holiday has escaped a jail sentence.
Alexander McCabe, 30, of Quarryside in Dryburgh, pleaded guilty to causing the death of couple Jenna Tindall, 29, and Marc Edwards, 26, by driving without due care or attention.
Jenna and Marc were in one car, with Alexander and partner Nicola Brown in another, travelling home from Newcastle Airport in July last year after a break in Lanzarote when the tragedy happened.
McCabe smashed into the back of the couple’s car, causing it to cross into the opposing carriageway and hit another vehicle coming the other way.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court, McCabe was given a 12-month community payback order by Sheriff Michael O’Grady.
As part of the order, he was placed under supervision for 12 months and ordered to undertake 180 hours of unpaid work.
McCabe was also disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years.
He had previously admitted one charge under the Road Traffic Act.
Jenna and Marc died at the scene of the collision, at a roundabout on the A68, near Millerhill in Midlothian, while Ms Brown was also hurt, along with a passenger in the third car.
Following McCabe’s guilty plea, Inspector Roger Park, of Edinburgh’s road policing unit, said: “Alexander McCabe drove in a manner which ultimately proved fatal for Jenna Tindall and Marc Edwards after his vehicle collided with theirs on the A68 during the early hours of Friday July 8 2016.
“A significant collision investigation was conducted by the road policing unit and McCabe was subsequently identified as being the driver at fault for this incident.
“While his guilty plea cannot bring Jenna or Marc back to their families, it hopefully provides them with some form of closure that will allow them to move on with their lives.
“Our thoughts and sympathies remain with them.”
Speaking following the couple’s death, Lois and Frank Tindall — Jenna’s parents — described the pair, who had been dating for more than a year, as “inseparable”.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/man-caused-deaths-pals-car-crash-way-home-dundee-lanzarote-holiday/
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