Private prosecution ruled out in Glasgow lorry crash

Families who lost relatives in two separate Glasgow road crashes have been told they cannot bring charges against the drivers.

Six people were killed and another 17 were injured when the truck mounted the pavement in Queen Street on 22 December, 2014.

Harry Clarke, the driver of the lorry, had lost consciousness at the wheel.

Those who were killed in the crash were Erin McQuade, 18, her grandparents Jack Sweeny, 68, and his wife Lorraine, 69, Stephenie Tait, 29 and Jacquelin Morton, 51, who were both from Glasgow, and Gillian Ewing, 52, who was from Edinburgh.

The Crown had previously opted not to bring prosecutions in either case but an inquiry last August found that the deaths could have been avoided if Mr Clarke had not lied about his medical history.

This prompted the families or Erin McQuade and Jack Sweeney to seek a private prosecution.

The other case under consideration for private prosecution related to an incident in 2010 in which Laura Stewart, 20, and Mhairi Convy, 18, were killed.

A Range Rover, being driven by William Payne, mounted the pavement and hit the two women after he blacked out while driving.