Banned driver who stole Maserati and killed great-grandfather in crash jailed

A man who caused the death of a great-grandfather by hitting him in a garden with a stolen supercar has been jailed.

John Bell, 74, suffered "non-survivable injuries" when he was struck by a Maserati and pinned against the wall of a house in Broughty Ferry near Dundee on 13 April earlier this year.

Fraser Garden, 55, pleaded guilty last month to causing Mr Bell's death by dangerous driving at a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

A disqualified driver at the time of the offence, the court heard he had already been handed 90 previous convictions, including "numerous" motoring-related charges.

At court on Friday, Garden was jailed for 13 years and six months. He was also banned from driving for more than 56 years.

The court heard that despite already being under three driving bans, Garden entered a car showroom in Broughty Ferry on 13 April, stealing a high-powered Maserati that was parked in the forecourt.

He then sped through residential areas of the town at speeds of more than 80mph, jumped a red light, drove on the wrong side of the road, and overtook vehicles into the face of oncoming traffic.

Garden lost control of the vehicle less than 750 metres from the showroom, where he then clipped a kerb, struck a traffic island and ploughed through a hedge into where Mr Bell was working.

The front of the car struck Mr Bell before pinning him against the wall of the house.

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Handing sentence on Friday, Lord Baird said Garden's offending was of the "utmost severity", adding that "from the moment you drove away from the garage, you demonstrated wicked disregard for the lives of others".

"No sentence this court can impose can possibly hope to make up for the loss Mr Bell's family and friends have suffered," the judge added.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC told a hearing last month that when police arrested Garden on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, he said: "Sorry."

The court heard Mr Bell had three children, 10 adult grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Garden also pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle, driving without insurance, driving while disqualified, and failing to provide a blood sample for drug testing last month.

(c) Sky News 2026: Banned driver who stole Maserati and killed great-grandfather in crash jailed