Prison for wrong-way A9 driver who killed ‘bucket list’ motorcyclist

A tourist who killed a motorcyclist on the A9 as he headed for the Highlands to fulfil a “bucket list” wish has been jailed for 14 months.

Die Huang, 51, was driving on the wrong side of the road north of Pitlochry when she collided with a Harley Davidson ridden by Andrew MacPherson.

He was thrown into the air and suffered catastrophic injuries.

Huang was on holiday in Scotland with her son, who lives and studies in London, and was driving south before the crash near the junction with the B847 Calvine road.

The section of the A9 she was driving on was single carriageway but she was previously travelling on a part of the road that was dual carriageway.

Judge Lord Harrower told Huang at the High Court in Edinburgh: “It would appear that you simply had not appreciated that the two carriageways had merged into a single carriageway with tragic consequences.”

Family grief

Mr MacPherson, from Cambridgeshire, and his group were heading for the north coast of Scotland NC500 route, which the retired train driver had been talking about for nearly a decade, when he was confronted with Huang’s oncoming Hyundai and had no time to react.

Lord Harrower told Huang: “I have read a personal statement from Mr MacPherson’s wife in which she writes movingly of the devastating impact that the loss of her husband has had upon her.

“No sentence of this court can alleviate the anguish suffered by her and by Mr MacPherson’s entire family.”

He told Huang her offence was aggravated by the number of people injured in the incident, including her son Chuhan Xu, 25, and friend Li Fang, 52, travelling with them.

Mr MacPherson’s stepson Edward Muller was riding behind him and was also injured after he braked heavily to avoid being hit by the oncoming car.

The judge said he would have imposed a 21-month jail term were it not for her early guilty plea.

He said he took into account her genuine and deep remorse, her lack of experience of driving in the UK, her otherwise good driving record and lack of previous convictions.

Tragic crash

Huang earlier admitted causing the death of Mr MacPherson on June 23 this year by driving dangerously.

Witnesses in front of Huang became aware of the car she was driving overtaking vehicles behind them.

When behind their car she pulled out as if to overtake but did not increase speed and remained in the opposing lane.

The driver slowed to allow her to return to the correct lane but got no reaction.

The court heard Mr MacPherson, 63, was a train driver and after he was medically retired, devoted time to his hobbies.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice KC said: “He was an avid gamer and loved tinkering on bikes. Motorcycling was his main interest.

“The trip was on his ‘bucket list’, being the NC500 and he had talked about it for nearly a decade.”

Mr MacPherson and his group had stopped at Blair Castle for a tour of the property before continuing their journey towards Loch Ness when tragedy struck.

Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC said Huang has demonstrated “genuine and considerable remorse” and was assessed as being at the lowest risk of reoffending.

Huang was told she will be banned from driving for five years and seven months.

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