Chinese tourist jailed for killing biker in crash

A Chinese tourist who killed a motorcyclist who was travelling to fulfil a “bucket list” wish of touring the North Coast 500 has been jailed for 14 months.

Motorist Die Huang, 51, was driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit Andrew MacPherson’s bike, throwing the 63-year-old into the air on the A9 in Perthshire.

She admitted causing the death of Mr MacPherson by driving dangerously on the A9, north of its junction with the B847 Calvine road on 23 June.

Huang was also disqualified from driving for five years and seven months.

Judge Lord Harrower told Huang: “No sentence of this court can alleviate the anguish being suffered by Mr MacPherson’s entire family.”

Advocate depute Alex Prentice KC previously told the High Court in Edinburgh that Mr MacPherson was a former train driver who pursued his hobbies after being medically retired.

The prosecutor said: “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.”

“He left behind a sister and brother-in-law, daughter, two sons and his wife.”

The court heard that Huang was touring Scotland after arriving in the UK to visit her son Chuhan Xu who lives and studies in London.

He sustained a fractured spine in the crash.

Another passenger in the rented Hyundai she was driving at the time of the collision suffered a fractured arm and jaw.

Oxfordshire-born Mr MacPherson had arrived in Scotland on 22 June with others, including his stepson Edward Muller who was also driving a Harley Davidson.

Mr Prentice said another car driver became aware of Huang’s vehicle overtaking other vehicles behind and saw it pull onto the opposing lane as if to pass him, but it did not increase its speed.

The prosecutor said: “He slowed down to allow the accused to move back across into the correct lane but got no reaction.

“Having observed oncoming motorcycles, he slowed down again however the accused failed to react and remained in the opposing lane.”

He said Mr Muller, who was riding behind his stepfather, saw Huang drive onto the opposing lane into the path of Mr MacPherson leaving him no time to react before the collision.

Mr Prentice said: “Having been struck, Andrew MacPherson was thrown from his motorcycle, collided with the front of the accused’s vehicle and came to rest on the road surface behind the accused’s vehicle.

“He suffered catastrophic injuries and was immediately found to be unresponsive and not breathing.”

Mr Muller lost control of his motorbike as he took evasive action and hit a kerb and fell to the ground causing him injury.

Defence counsel Tony Lenehan KC said his client’s remorse over the incident was “enormous.”

He said Huang was driving on a section of the A9 which was dual carriageway but about two miles before the collision site it merged into one road.

She thought she was still on a section of divided carriageway and pulled out to pass traffic in front of her, believing that the lane was for southbound vehicles.