Glasgow bus driver who ran over pedestrian given community sentence

A bus driver who ran over and killed a Glasgow businessman who was crossing a road on his daily walk has been given community service.

First Bus driver Amarjit Singh, 56, admitted killing Scott Willies, 65, by careless driving on Great Western Road on 27 January 2024.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that he failed to spot Mr Willies – a former director of the Arnold Clark car sales group – despite having a 700m (765 yards) view of the road ahead.

Singh was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from driving for 24 months.

Sheriff John McCormick said Mr Willies was a much-loved husband, brother and friend, and his family was “heartbroken by his loss”.

The court previously heard that Singh was driving a number six bus to Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, while Mr Willies was out at 07:00 on his 30,000 steps per day walk.

As the bus was approaching a junction, Singh maintained a speed of 24mph (37km/h) when the traffic lights changed to amber, instead of slowing down.

Mr Willies stepped on to the road near the crossing while the amber light was illuminated, without checking for traffic, prosecutor Paula Wedlock said.

“The front windscreen of the bus struck Mr Willies causing him to fall to the ground and he went under the bus,” she said.

“The bus stopped and Mr Willies’ body was lying behind it.”

Emergency crews attended and carried out CPR but Mr Willies died at the scene.

An investigation found no defects to the bus and Singh had not been on his phone at the time of the collision.

After his death, Mr Willies was described as “a long serving colleague and respected director of the Arnold Clark Group.

“He was much loved and will be sorely missed by all of his wider family and his many friends,” a statement said.