Man jailed for murdering bus driver in attempted suicide crash

A man who murdered a bus driver by deliberately crashing into his vehicle in a suicide attempt has been jailed for life.

David Livingstone, 44, planned to take his own life after his long-term partner ended their relationship.

He drove his work's Ford Transit van into a Stagecoach bus, driven by 23-year-old Gordon Stirling, on the A77 near Fenwick, East Ayrshire, on 14 August 2023.

Livingstone was convicted of Mr Stirling's murder last month, in what judge Lord Mulholland described as the "most selfish" killing he had encountered in his 40-year career in the courts.

He must serve a minimum of 19 years in prison before he can apply for parole.

The trial had heard two of Mr Stirling's passengers were also injured in the crash.

Livingstone was badly injured in the collision and appeared for his trial still in a wheelchair.

He had denied intending to take his own life and claimed he had no memory of the collision.

• If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, help is available from BBC Action Line.

The trial heard how Livingstone's partner 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.

Livingstone had been working in Millport, Great Cumbrae, on a construction site on the day of the murder.

About 10 minutes before the crash, he sent "love you" messages to his son and eldest daughter.

Then, as he was apparently returning to his home in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, at about 17:30, he drove his van head-on into Mr Stirling's bus on the A77.

The bus driver, of Crosshouse, also in East Ayrshire, never recovered and died in hospital.

Lord Mulholland told the court the crash happened with such force, that the van was "embedded in the front of the bus".

He said Mr Stirling was "propelled" from the driver's seat into the area for buggies and wheelchairs on board, and that he phoned his father to tell him what happened while waiting for paramedics.

Lord Mulholland said: "This call must have been so distressing to receive as would be the fight for his life as he lay in a hospital bed.

"His friends and family sat with him, never leaving his side as his life slipped away.

"You are responsible for all this. You have visited a life sentence of grief and loss on them."

Livingstone suffered multiple broken bones and was visited in hospital by his now ex-partner 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.

Sentencing him to life in jail, Lord Mulholland said: "Your intent was to kill yourself, and you didn't care about the consequences for the driver and passengers on the bus.

"You have shown no remorse."

Livingstone will only be eligible to apply for parole after 19 years' imprisonment, with his sentence running from 19 October 2023.

It emerged after the verdict last month that he had previously been jailed for drug trafficking.