Bus driver who killed Rangers fan jailed for five years

A speeding bus driver who killed a Rangers fan in a crash has been jailed for five years.

Father-of-two Callum Phillips, 49, was driving at speeds of up to 73mph shortly before the collision which took the life of 39-year-old Ryan Baird.

The bus, which had 37 passengers on board from the Nith Valley Rangers supporters' club on board aged from six to 60, was described as 'like a roller coaster' as it entered Crossroads Roundabout on the A76 near Kilmarnock around 1pm on October 1, 2016.

It smashed into a lamp post and then skidded along on its side before coming to a halt.

One passenger Heather Geddes, 25, who was on the bus as a birthday treat, described Phillips as "flying down the road with his foot to the floor".

Mr Baird, from Sanquhar, died trapped in the wreckage, Graeme Slider, 30, from Dumfriesshire suffered a fractured pelvis, John Campbell, 69, needed skin grafts on his arms and John Torrance suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding.

Last month a jury at the High Court in Glasgow convicted Phillips of causing the death of Mr Baird by dangerous driving.

Judge Lady Stacey jailed Phillips and disqualified him from driving or having a licence for five years.

She said: “Your driving caused the death of Ryan Baird. Nothing that this court can do or say can lessen the grief that the family and friends feel at their loss.”

The judge added: “You didn't mean to endanger your passengers but you did show a shocking lack of care in your driving.”