Police ScotlandA man who deliberately drove in front of a bus killing the driver has been convicted of murder.
David Livingstone, 44, planned to take his own life after his long-term partner ended their relationship and crashed his work’s Ford Transit van into a single-decker Stagecoach bus driven by Gordon Stirling.
The 23 year-old died and two passengers were hurt following the crash on the A77 near Fenwick, Ayrshire on 14 August 2023.
Judge Lord Mulholland told Livingstone that though it was “tragic” that he wanted to take his own life, it was the “most selfish” killing he had encountered in his 40-year career in the courts.
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Livingstone was also badly injured in the collision and appeared for his trial still in a wheelchair.
Lord Mulholland said: “It is tragic that you wanted to take your own life, but you took someone else’s life.
“A young man with everything in front of him, loved by family and friends, who sat beside him for days as his life slipped away with the injuries that you inflicted on him.
“It is selfish in the extreme and you will pay a heavy price for that.”
Livingstone had denied intending to take his own life and claimed he had no memory of the collision.
‘Shocked’ by break-up
Members of Mr Stirling’s family were in the High Court in Glasgow for the verdict, and brought his ashes in an urn kept inside a rucksack that once belonged to him.
The trial heard how Livingstone’s partner Michelle had ended their relationship of more than 20 years days before the crash.
The couple’s son Devlin Livingstone told the court his father was “as strong as he could be” immediately following the split, but had been “shocked” by what happened.
The killer had been working in Millport on a construction site on the day of the murder.
The fatal crash occurred around 17:30 as he was apparently returning to his home in Stewarton, Ayrshire.
Around 10 minutes before this he sent “love you” messages to his son and eldest daughter Jada Hanvey.
Livingstone eventually ended up driving his van head on into Mr Stirling’s bus on the A77.
The bus driver, of Crosshouse, also in Ayrshire, never recovered and died in hospital.
Hospital bed ‘confession’
Livingstone suffered multiple broken bones and was visited in hospital by his now ex and her mother following the incident.
It was there Livingstone was said to have confessed that he “deliberately” drove his van into the bus.
The court was told he added that they were not to “tell anybody” as he would “get into trouble”.
His KC Ian Duguid asked him about the comment he made while in his hospital bed, which he denied saying.
Livingstone also denied in his testimony that he had felt suicidal and claimed to have little memory of his journey after getting off the ferry from Millport.
It emerged after the verdict Livingstone had previously been jailed for drug trafficking.
Lord Mulholland deferred sentencing until 29 October in Stirling.
