A DRIVER who had claimed he was "blacked out" behind the wheel when his car hit and killed a grandmother on a Glasgow crossing has been jailed for three years.

Glasgow Times:

Vincent Friel, 44, above, was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow today - a month after a jury found him guilty of killing pensioner Carol Collins and also seriously injuring her cousin by dangerous driving.

The businessman, from Rutherglen, had been warned he was facing prison time and carried a black holdall into court.

Judge Morris told Friel, who has no previous convictions, that the case was a "tragic" one.

He said he accepted that the car was moving very slowly when it hit the women and a statement from Friel's defence counsel which said he was "devastated" about the crash.

But Judge Morris added he had to consider the impact on Ms Collins' greiving relatives and said: "No sentence will assuage the devastation felt by the family of the victim."

He sentenced Friel to three years in total for both charges - causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

Friel is also banned from driving for five years.

He nodded at his family members in the court as he was led away by security officers.

Glasgow Times:

Ms Collins, above, 68, from Pollok, described as a "wonderful mother and grandmother", suffered a head injury and died soon after being hit by Friel's black Range Rover on a pedestrian crossing near Silverburn Shopping Centre.

Glasgow Times:

The retired mother-of-three was heading out for an afternoon of shopping with her cousin Margaret Haldane (above) on January 18 2014, when tragedy struck.

Ms Haldane, 69, was also hit and her wrist shattered in four places leaving her permanently disfigured.

Glasgow Times:

The pair, above, were making their way across Barrhead Road with the "green man" when Friel's car drove slowly through a red light and ploughed into them.

A trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard from witnesses at the scene of the crash - including one women who narrowly missed being hit by Friel's car - and was shown harrowing CCTV footage of the impact.

Friel claimed that he suffered a vasovagal syncope or faint behind the wheel of the 4x4 - the same condition which caused bin lorry crash driver Harry Clarke to black out killing six.

He lodged a special defence of automatism.

His defence argued that Friel - who has a history of high blood pressure - had been prescribed medication which made his blood pressure to dip too low, after complaining to a doctors of "sex headaches", and this caused him to lose consciousness.

Two medical experts said a faint was possible, but they could not make a definitive diagnosis.

Another witness, a cardiologist, told a jury he did not believe Friel had passed out.

And at the end of six days of evidence the jury also rejected the claims, returning a majority verdicts after just one hour and 40 minutes.

The victims' family, who sat through all the evidence, said afterwards that the verdict had done little to ease the pain of their loss.

Glasgow Times:

Ms Collin's, above,  three children said in a statement to the Evening Times: "We are still heartbroken by the loss of our wonderful mother and grandmother and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death."

It added: "Our mum played a huge part in our lives and she is missed every single day."