Mother says son's death in 108mph crash should be 'a lesson for others'

A grieving mother said she hoped her son's death in a 108mph crash would be a "lesson for other people."

Ben Taylor, 19, was a passenger in an Audi RS3 when the driver, Josh Buchan, lost control of the vehicle on the outskirts of Aberdeen in 2022.

Buchan, 26, who pleaded guilty to causing the teenager's death, also admitted driving at up to 125mph on a previous occasion.

At the High Court in Aberdeen Judge Buchanan deferred sentence for background reports and remanded Buchan in custody.

Afterwards Ben's mother, Trudi Walsh, described her son as a "generous soul" and urged young people to "think twice" before they get behind the wheel.

First offender Buchan, of Aberdeen, was originally charged with driving at speeds of up to 194mph on occasions prior to the fatal crash on South Deeside Road, and at up to 118mph when the crash happened.

On Tuesday, the mechanic admitted amended charges of driving at up to 125mph on a previous occasion, and causing the death of his rear seat passenger in September 2022 by driving dangerously on the B9077 road at up to 108mph.

Advocate depute Lindsey Dalziel, for the Crown, said a victim impact statement detailed the "devastating" loss suffered by the Banchory victim's family.

She said Buchan had been driving a black high-performance Audi RS3, which had a top speed of 155mph.

The court heard he lost control on a bend before the car became air borne and crashed into trees.

Buchan and another passenger were able to get out, but Taylor died inside the vehicle from head injuries.

It was agreed that the car had been travelling at 108mph as it approached the bend, and that the impact with trees would have been at about 93mph.

Collision investigators were of the opinion the manner of driving led to the loss of control.

The court heard the victim's mother later found a video clip showing the Audi dashboard and a speed of up to 125mph from a previous occasion.

Buchan accepted it was him and was filmed in the Aberdeen area.

Defence counsel Neil Shand said Buchan recognised the "utterly devastating" impact his actions had, and was "truly sorry".

Judge Buchanan said everyone recognised the impact of what Buchan did and his "disgracefully" high speed.

He deferred sentence until next month, but warned Buchan to expect a significant custodial sentence.

Outside court after the case, the victim's mother described her son - whose twin brothers Jon and Sam are 21 - as "such a generous soul".

She said: "Most importantly, I want this to be a lesson for other people, such as Josh, that there are consequences.

"I just don't want it to be wasted.

"I just want people to think twice before they go out. There's too many of these accidents happening now.

"I know Josh is somebody else's son, but driving like that is a choice. And the way he was driving, he'd have been as well having a gun that day."

She added: "It will never get easier."