Jail for caterer in crash tragedy

A wedding caterer from Wednesbury who caused the death of one of the guests in a crash when driving while disqualified has been jailed.

James Rai's van crashed into Raju Singh on the A74 (M) in Dumfries and Galloway in July. Rai, 41, had denied causing the death of Mr Singh, 28, by driving while disqualified and without insurance.

But he was found guilty by a jury and received an 18-month sentence following a five day trial at Dumfries Sheriff Court. He had admitted lesser charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The court had heard how Mr Singh from Washington, in Tyne and Wear, had been at a wedding in Glasgow prior to the accident.

He was returning home to Tyne and Wear in a car driven by his brother-in-law when he fell out with another relative. The car pulled into the Johstonebridge service area where the driver tried to calm things down.

The row escalated and Mr Singh stormed off saying he was going to walk home. Efforts were made to locate him and he answered his mobile from the motorway stating he was heading south.

Rai was also travelling on the motorway having been working as a caterer at the wedding where Mr Singh had been a guest.

A passenger in Rai's van told the court they thought they had hit a deer when there was a bump and the windscreen shattered.

Sheriff George Jamieson said he acknowledged that the standard of Rai's driving could not be said to be the cause of death. However, he stressed that he should not have been on the road and it was the second time he had been convicted of driving while disqualified.