THE families of two women mowed down on a city centre pavement have described an inquiry into their deaths as "an absolute shambolic lip service exercise."

THE families of two women mowed down on a city centre pavement have described an inquiry into their deaths as "an absolute shambolic lip service exercise."

They hit out after a Fatal Accident Inquiry(FAI) found the deaths of Mhairi Convy, 18, and Laura Stewart, 20, could have been prevented.

The students were walking in Glasgow's North Hanover Street on December 17, 2010 when a Range Rover apparently lost control and smashed into them.

William Payne, who was 50 at the time of the crash, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court in November 2012 accused of causing death by driving while uninsured, but charges against him were dropped a year later.

Now both families are calling for the pub DJ, from Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, who had a history of blackouts, to be prosecuted

Mhairi's parents Alan, 50, and Aileen, 49, of Lennox-town, said the families are determined to continue their fight for justice.

Kitchen firm manager Alan said: "The past four years have been a nightmare for all of us. It is not right this guy hasn't been prosecuted and the major issue we have is with the Crown and the way they have treated us.

"At one point they told us he wouldn't be charged which we were devastated about, the next they try and palm us off with an FAI hoping we will go away and the FAI turns out to be a farce as he wasn't allowed to say anything because the Crown have still left the option open to charge him.

"That man should never have been allowed behind a wheel. It has been a catalogue of disasters."

Alan and Aileen described their daughter as their best friend who had "blossomed" during the three years she had been studying accountancy at Glasgow College of Commerce.

He said: "We miss Mhairi horrifically every day. Losing her has changed everything and left a huge void.

"It took me and my wife the best part of a year to accept that Mhairi was gone. We had the horrible task of clearing her room out. No parent should ever have to go through that.

"Both Mhairi and Laura had just qualified as accountants before it happened and we were sent their diplomas posthumously.

"The year before she passed away I climbed Ben Nevis with her as part of a charity event organised by the college. It was a fantastic day and Laura was there as well."

Laura's aunt Cate Cairney, 58, of Cumbernauld, said her sister Linda and husband John are still struggling to come to terms with her death.

Cate said: "We were so close, we all did everything together. My daughters Jennifer and Laura were like sisters and Laura was like my other daughter.

"She was a hard working girl and determined. She was her mum's best friend and always wanted to be indepen-dent and to help her mum.

"Her biggest joy was when she passed her driving test last year and she could drive her mum to the shops. Linda has been struggling from day one. Grief like this is like the ocean, it laps around your feet some days and on others it knocks you over like a tidal wave."

Cate said the FAI had been "nothing but an absolute shambolic lip service, throw us a bone, inquiry".

She added: "For four years we have been kept in the dark and have had to live with the constant uncertainty. They have just been prolonging the agony for both families, tormenting us daily."

Their lawyer Fraser Simpson, partner at Digby Brown Solicitors, said: "Hopefully the Crown Office and Procurator Service will at last accept there is an overwhelming sufficiency of evidence to allow the driver's actions to be measured in a criminal court, and send a wider message that it is not acceptable to place innocent lives at risk in this way."

janice.burns@eveningtimes.co.uk