THE family of a woman killed in a crash near Cumnock last year have said the conviction of the man responsible brings them "no comfort".

Andrew Murphy pleaded guilty to causing the death of 64-year-old Janet Girvan on the A70 near Dumfries House.

Murphy, 54, was high on cannabis and cocaine when he crashed the BMW into a tree on November 6, 2022.

Ms Girvan, who was in the passenger seat of the car at the time, was so severely injured in the crash that she later died.

Murphy, of Ardnith Avenue, New Cumnock, admitted causing Ms Girvan's death by driving without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other road users on the A70 to the west of Cumnock.

Court documents described how he failed to maintain proper observation, failed to keep control of the vehicle and caused it to leave the carriageway, colliding with a fence and tree.

The road was closed for 11 hours following the crash.

 

The charge to which Murphy pleaded guilty at Ayr Sheriff Court stated that the proportion of benzoylecgonine - the main psychoactive ingredient of cocaine - in his system at the time of the crash was 133 microgrammes per litre of blood. 

The limit in Scotland is 50 microgrammes.

 

The proportion of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol - the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis - in Murphy's blood was also above the legal limit of two microgrammes.

In a statement issued through their solicitors, Ms Girvan's family said: “We acknowledge the verdict but it brings us no comfort as the loss of Janet is something we still struggle with every day and the conviction does not ease this pain.

“We’d like to thank everyone for their support, but we request that our privacy is respected going forward.”

Sentence on Murphy was deferred following his guilty plea and he was granted bail.

He will return to Ayr Sheriff Court for sentencing in the new year.