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A MUM whose daughter was killed by an 83-year-old motorist is calling for more checks on elderly drivers.

Shanneal Herron spoke of her family’s agony for the first time after pensioner Alexander Wotherspoon was convicted of causing 17-year-old Eilish’s death by careless driving.

And she revealed Wotherspoon had added to the family’s agony by failing to show any remorse and denying the offence in court – putting them through the agony of a trial.

The pensioner blamed a fault with his specially modified car for the tragedy but a jury took just an hour to reject his version of events on Monday.

He will return to court to be sentenced next month but was formally banned from driving after his conviction.

IT trainer Shanneal, 48, from Paisley, said: “We don’t feel anything against the

person.

“But it would have made a big difference if he’d said sorry, although it’s probably too late in the day even for that now.

“It was a hard week in court for the trial and he didn’t have to put us through that. We have no intention of being in court to see him sentenced.

“The verdict was important but the sentence is academic. Nothing will bring back Eilish.”

Wotherspoon backed over Eilish in a petrol station forecourt, dragging her 50ft into bushes under his Ford Focus.

The emergency services had to jack up the Focus to free her from underneath it.

The teenager, who had been filling up her own car, died of a head injury at the scene.

Eilish’s father John, 45, said: “He has repeatedly refused to take responsibility for his actions and has hidden behind a story of adaptations to his car being solely responsible.

“The only two words the family ever wanted to hear from Mr Wotherspoon were, ‘I’m sorry.’

“Instead, all we heard was, ‘Not guilty.’ A jury of his peers disagreed and he must take accountability for his actions.”

Shanneal revealed it was the second time the close-knit family have lost a member to a road accident.

But when her cousin Marcus Conn was killed at just 18 in Northern Ireland, the taxi driver who hit him while swerving to avoid people on a crossing went out of his way to show his remorse.

She said: “The man came to the house the day after Marcus died to say how sorry he was and he was also at the church service that week.

“That made a big difference – we know accidents happen.”

By contrast, Wotherspoon, from Houston, Renfrewshire, has never said sorry or even acknowledged Eilish’s family since her death in September 2014.

(Image: PDE)

He has claimed that he voluntarily gave up driving following her death.

But Shanneal says all elderly drivers and their families should ensure that they are still safe to be on the roads.

A study last year found accident and casualty rates were highest for drivers at either end of the age range – those in their teens and early 20s and those over 75.

Shanneal said: “We would urge people and their families to think about very elderly drivers and ask if they are safe.

“I appreciate there can be a sense of embarrassment about raising the possibility of medical problems but it’s too important to ignore.”

The grieving mum said that Eilish’s death has hit the whole family very hard. She added: “I still speak to Eilish every day. I talk to her as if she is here and it helps.

“There are photos of her throughout the house – there are reminders of her everywhere.

“We have such a large family, and we have all been left completely devastated.

“Eilish was especially close to her brother and sister, Niall, 17, and Neave, 14.

“She was close to her gran and grandpa on both sides and all the aunts, uncles and cousins. Everyone called her ‘our Eilish’ – she was everyone’s friend.

“She’d just passed her test nine days beforehand and only got her actual licence on the day she was killed. We had a cherished holiday in Portugal just the month beforehand and there were 10 of us there.

“She was just the loveliest girl you could meet.

“She was always so caring and never gave us a moment’s trouble in her whole life.

“She would have been 18 the next month and we’d been planning for her birthday. We’d ordered a heart-shaped montage of her photos. It arrived in the post a few days after she died.”

Eilish has been remembered with a plaque bearing her name and photograph at the spot where she died at an Asda petrol station in Linwood.

And hundreds of tributes poured in after her death from across the community.

A talented netball player, Eilish was Renfrewshire’s Young Sportsperson of the Year in 2013.

She went to St Andrew’s Academy in Paisley and was due to start a nursing degree.

During his six-day trial at Paisley Sheriff Court, Wotherspoon claimed his knee had hit a poorly installed hand lever next to his steering wheel, causing his car to shoot back and hit Eilish.

The pensioner showed no emotion as the jury returned their guilty verdict.

Sheriff Seith Ireland then banned him from driving saying the case involved “a very serious charge”.

Wotherspoon refused to answer the door at his detached bungalow when we approached him for comment last week.

A man’s voice from within the house said: “There’s no one here.”

Statistics show motorists over 80 are more likely to be involved in accidents as their general health deteriorates.

Drivers must renew their licence when they reach 70 and every three years after that.

All licence holders are obliged to declare to authorities any medical conditions which could affect their driving.

Research last year found that there were almost 4.5million UK drivers aged 70 and over, including more than a million aged 80 and over and 235 drivers 100 or older.

Dr Carol Hawley, of the University of Warwick, found older drivers were generally mindful of their age and physical condition – but wanted to keep driving as long as possible.

Most welcomed compulsory regular tests of eyesight

and driving competence and said they would heed the advice of their doctors.

A spokeswoman for road safety charity Brake said: “Over the age of 80, drivers are involved in more crashes as general health and fitness deteriorates.

“This tragic case shows why we need robust procedures in place to make sure older drivers are not putting themselves and others in serious danger.

“Brake call for eyesight tests to be made compulsory every time a driver renews their licence – which is every three years over the age of 70.

“We also recommend older drivers visit their GP and have sight and hearing tests at least annually, or sooner if they notice a problem.”

Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “At some point you have to look at some sort of cut-off point and at present it’s 70.

“At that age and above people have to sign off on certain health aspects.

“We also have to look to the medical profession. In some cases, they could recommend to someone that the time may have come to stop driving.”