Van driver admits causing crash which killed academic William Noel
Dr Noel tragically never recovered and died a fortnight later in hospital.
The 58 year-old had been visiting the capital to purchase rare books for Princeton University in Pennsylvania in the USA, where he was the Associate Librarian for Special Collections.
Gilmour today pleaded guilty to the causing the death of the Cambridge University graduate by dangerous driving.
He will be sentenced next month.
Dr Noel - originally from Yorkshire - had been with two colleagues during the visit to Scotland.
The trio had been walking on the pavement back to their hotel when tragedy struck around 6pm that evening.
William Noel (Image: NQ) Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the High Court in Glasgow: "As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system.
"He failed to pay attention to the road ahead causing the vehicle to leave the road in the direction of WIlliam Noel and his companions."
The advocate depute added the van went up onto the pavement, initially clipped one of the academic's friends before hitting Dr Noel from behind.
He was lifted onto the bonnet, struck the windscreen before landing on the ground.
An off-duty doctor out walking her dog as well as a passing nurse immediately ran to help.
Dr Noel was then rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The victim's wife back in Pennsylvania was contacted and she flew over to Scotland to be with her husband. Dr Noel's brother also arrived from London.
But, on April 29, he sadly passed away due to suffering severe head trauma as a result of the collision.
The court heard cabinet maker Gilmour had been found to have 2.4mg of THC from cannabis use per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mg.
Gilmour's KC Tony Graham today/yesterday said: "If he could do anything to take back what happened on that date, he would, but, of course, he cannot.
"He appreciates words uttered may seem cheap, but he does offer an apology to those bereaved."
READ MORE:
Gilmour, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, had been on bail, but Mr Graham did not move for that to be continued.
Lord Cubie remanded him in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports.
The judge: "Nothing the court can say can possibly compensate the loss caused.
"This offence appears to have arisen as a direct consequence of your lack of concentration, more concerned with your mobile phone than the road and potentially affected by drug consumption."
Dr Noel specialised in the study of Medieval and Renaissance European books.
He was described in court as a "highly regarded academic" and "very well known" having hosted TED talks and many public speaking events.
Dr Noel had also previously been honoured by the Obama administration for his commitment to open science.
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Edinburgh Live
6 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh van driver killed top academic after mounting kerb while looking at phone
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Edinburgh van driver under the influence of cannabis killed a leading academic out walking in the street. Darren Gilmour, 42, had also been occupied with his mobile phone when he hit Dr William Noel after mounting the kerb in Trinity Crescent, Edinburgh on April 10 2024. Dr Noel tragically never recovered and died a fortnight later in hospital. The 58-year-old had been visiting the capital to purchase rare books for Princeton University in Pennsylvania in the USA, where he was the Associate Librarian for Special Collections. Gilmour pleaded guilty to the causing the death of the Cambridge University graduate by dangerous driving on Friday. He will be sentenced next month. Dr Noel - originally from Yorkshire - had been with two colleagues during the visit to Scotland. The trio had been walking on the pavement back to their hotel when tragedy struck around 6pm that evening. Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the High Court in Glasgow: "As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system. (Image: University of Cambridge) "He failed to pay attention to the road ahead causing the vehicle to leave the road in the direction of WIlliam Noel and his companions." The advocate depute added the van went up onto the pavement, initially clipped one of the academic's friends before hitting Dr Noel from behind. He was lifted onto the bonnet, struck the windscreen before landing on the ground. An off-duty doctor out walking her dog as well as a passing nurse immediately ran to help. Dr Noel was then rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The victim's wife back in Pennsylvania was contacted and she flew over to Scotland to be with her husband. Dr Noel's brother also arrived from London. But, on April 29, he sadly passed away due to suffering severe head trauma as a result of the collision. The court heard cabinet maker Gilmour had been found to have 2.4mg of THC from cannabis use per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mg. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages Gilmour's KC Tony Graham said on Friday: "If he could do anything to take back what happened on that date, he would, but, of course, he cannot. "He appreciates words uttered may seem cheap, but he does offer an apology to those bereaved." Gilmour, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, had been on bail, but Mr Graham did not move for that to be continued. Lord Cubie remanded him in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports. The judge: "Nothing the court can say can possibly compensate the loss caused. "This offence appears to have arisen as a direct consequence of your lack of concentration, more concerned with your mobile phone than the road and potentially affected by drug consumption." Dr Noel specialised in the study of Medieval and Renaissance European books. He was described in court as a "highly regarded academic" and "very well known" having hosted TED talks and many public speaking events. Dr Noel had also previously been honoured by the Obama administration for his commitment to open science. end
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Van driver admits causing crash which killed academic William Noel
Dr Noel tragically never recovered and died a fortnight later in hospital. The 58 year-old had been visiting the capital to purchase rare books for Princeton University in Pennsylvania in the USA, where he was the Associate Librarian for Special Collections. Gilmour today pleaded guilty to the causing the death of the Cambridge University graduate by dangerous driving. He will be sentenced next month. Dr Noel - originally from Yorkshire - had been with two colleagues during the visit to Scotland. The trio had been walking on the pavement back to their hotel when tragedy struck around 6pm that evening. William Noel (Image: NQ) Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the High Court in Glasgow: "As Gilmour drove his Citroen Relay van, he was under the influence of cannabis and was interacting with his telephone, which was not connected to a hands-free system. "He failed to pay attention to the road ahead causing the vehicle to leave the road in the direction of WIlliam Noel and his companions." The advocate depute added the van went up onto the pavement, initially clipped one of the academic's friends before hitting Dr Noel from behind. He was lifted onto the bonnet, struck the windscreen before landing on the ground. An off-duty doctor out walking her dog as well as a passing nurse immediately ran to help. Dr Noel was then rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The victim's wife back in Pennsylvania was contacted and she flew over to Scotland to be with her husband. Dr Noel's brother also arrived from London. But, on April 29, he sadly passed away due to suffering severe head trauma as a result of the collision. The court heard cabinet maker Gilmour had been found to have 2.4mg of THC from cannabis use per one litre of blood. The legal limit is 2mg. Gilmour's KC Tony Graham today/yesterday said: "If he could do anything to take back what happened on that date, he would, but, of course, he cannot. "He appreciates words uttered may seem cheap, but he does offer an apology to those bereaved." READ MORE: Gilmour, of Dalkeith, Midlothian, had been on bail, but Mr Graham did not move for that to be continued. Lord Cubie remanded him in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports. The judge: "Nothing the court can say can possibly compensate the loss caused. "This offence appears to have arisen as a direct consequence of your lack of concentration, more concerned with your mobile phone than the road and potentially affected by drug consumption." Dr Noel specialised in the study of Medieval and Renaissance European books. He was described in court as a "highly regarded academic" and "very well known" having hosted TED talks and many public speaking events. Dr Noel had also previously been honoured by the Obama administration for his commitment to open science.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow driver left teens 'scattered across car park' court hears
Steven Gilmour is said to have collided with the youngsters in Glasgow's Provanmill having earlier dropped off Super Noodles at his home. Six of the boys were described as needing hospital treatment following the incident on August 22 2022. Gilmour - a carer - has gone on trial charged with causing injury by dangerous driving. The 36-year-old is said to have been behind the wheel of a silver Vauxhall Corsa and drove at excessive speeds for the road conditions. It is claimed he lost control of the vehicle mounted a pavement and went in to a car park where the teenagers had been standing. Gilmour, of the city's Barlanark, denies the charge at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The trial heard from Gilmour's partner Erin Bowman, 35, who stated that she spoke to him on the phone earlier that day. READ NEXT: Man rushed to hospital after 'stabbing' on Glasgow street READ NEXT: Council speaks out over primary school's union flag letter Fiscal Danielle Docherty asked Miss Bowman if she could remember anything about his working day. She replied: "I asked him to pick up Super Noodles and drop them off after his next shift. Miss Docherty said: "Did he come home with them?" The witness said: "He finished his shift and before he started his next one he brought Super Noodles for our child then went to work." Miss Docherty later asked if Gilmour had went "out of his way" or if he had been delayed by the request, which Miss Bowman refuted. However, the fiscal referred to Miss Bowman's police statement in which she told an officer that her partner had been "running late." Miss Bowman stated that the next contact with Gilmour was when he called her in a 'panic' to say that he had been in an 'accident' and 'was not sure if he had hurt anyone.' Lee Porter, 41, told the court that he heard a "loud bang" outside his home around 5.20pm that day. The Glasgow city council gardener said he looked out of his window and "saw young lads scattered all over the car park." Mr Porter stated that he rushed to the community centre in his bare feet to attend to the boys. He said: "They were all in different positions - one was under a car, one or two of them were unconscious." When asked about the teenager under the vehicle, Mr Porter replied: "It was the front of the car on the passenger was obviously in shock with the motor on top of him." Mr Porter stated that he and Gilmour - who he identified in the dock - as well as one of the uninjured youths lifted the vehicle from the boy. The witness said Gilmour was also "in shock" and claimed that he did not know what had happened. He added: "Mr Gilmour then left the scene of the ran towards the USave shop on Royston Road." Miss Docherty said: "What did you do?" Mr Porter said: "I then left the boys, ran upstairs to put trainers on and then I went to the shop to get Mr Gilmour." Miss Docherty said: "What was he doing?" Mr Porter said: "He was trying to hide in there." The witness stated that he took Gilmour by the arm and handed him to the police officers who had arrived. Mr Porter claimed that he saw six of the eight boys be taken away by ambulances. Calum Weir, defending, asked Mr Porter if the atmosphere after the crash was hostile towards Mr Gilmour and he replied: "Yes." Mr Weir followed up: "It's not unreasonable for a person to try and remove himself from that?". Mr Porter again agreed. The summary trial, before Sheriff Patricia Pryce and no jury, continues in August.
