A motorist who was using his mobile phone killed his friend after crashing into the back of his motorcycle, a court heard.
Paul Shrubsole, 60, struck Julian Wiseman, a teacher, 57, on the M74 near Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, on July 24, 2021.
Shrubsole’s car also hit their other friend Paul Allum’s motorcycle. His injuries have left him in a wheelchair.
Shrubsole, from Essex, had been driving in a convoy from England to Scotland.
He had been friends with Wiseman, a maths teacher, and together they set up Grays Athletic walking football team. Wiseman, a father of two, had only recently recovered from cancer.
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Wiseman and Allum had ridden ahead of Shrubsole’s Nissan Qashqai SUV on the day of the incident.
Shrubsole was initially accused of causing Wiseman’s death by dangerous driving but this was changed to causing death by careless driving.
Court papers state that Shrubsole made several calls from his phone that afternoon, one of which was to Allum, and he used his hands-free device to dial moments before the collision.
In his closing speech, Chris Wilson, for the prosecution, told the jury at the High Court in Glasgow: “Twenty seconds. That’s the period of time he failed to react to the lights of the flowing traffic ahead of him.”
A witness reported seeing one of the motorcyclists being “thrown into the air.”
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Shrubsole was said to be “very panicked” and a police officer claimed that he was “agitated”.
The court was told that Shrubsole sent a text message to a contact on his mobile that read: “I’ve killed Julian and Paul. I ploughed into the back of them.”
The motorist made admissions when he spoke to police stating: “I accept full liability. I was on the phone, it was hands-free, I pressed dial and it was it.”
Wiseman was pronounced dead at 3.15pm that day. A post-mortem examination found that he suffered multiple injuries.
Allum suffered a spinal injury as well as a broken leg and ribs. He is now in wheelchair and relies on help from two support workers.
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Tributes were paid to Wiseman. A statement from his family said: “We would like to extend condolences to all of those affected by his loss, particularly to all of his students who always meant so much to him. Words cannot express what a kind, caring, compassionate and supportive person Julian was and he will be sorely missed by everybody who had the pleasure of knowing him.”
Grays Athletic said: “Julian was a very warm and friendly person who engaged with all players in the club to encourage them to play better.”
Judge Lord Arthurson deferred sentence pending background reports until next month. He told the first-time offender: “The jury found you guilty of an extremely serious offence in this utterly tragic case.
“All options are available to me including custody and I will disqualify you from driving.”
