TikToker jailed for nine years after killing grandmother in school-run crash

A TikTok creator who killed a grandmother while driving a car with faulty brakes has been jailed for nine years.

Leigh Sutherland, 31, told police a "cock and bull story" after the collision with Margaret Allan in June 2023 in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. Ms Allan, 77, was driving her 10-year-old grandson in her Peugeot 108 back from school.

She died the following month. Weather latest - Storm Goretti leaves thousands without power Sutherland was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in October 2025.

Sutherland, who had been warned his Ford Mondeo's anti-lock braking system was not working, was also speeding excessively and driving with an unsecured battery when he collided with Ms Allan's car on the Condorrat Ring Road. A court heard that immediately after the crash, Sutherland walked away from the scene before police stopped him.

He then made "derogatory" comments about his victim and later posted videos about the crash while on remand, something Glasgow High Court Judge Thomas Hughes called "totally inappropriate". Sutherland told officers a Romanian man he couldn't identify was test-driving the vehicle, which was for sale, when the accident happened, which Judge Hughes dismissed as "a cock and bull story" during sentencing on Friday.

Mr Hughes said Sutherland's attitude was "totally and utterly unacceptable, you proceeded to walk away from the area, paying no regard to those you injured and left them to their fate. Also known as Lee Sutherland, his other TikTok videos include scenes where he dresses up as a police officer and pretends to be a defence lawyer.

The judge said the problems with the car's braking system "must have been quite clear" but Sutherland "carried on driving and became involved in the catastrophic incident that happened here". Sutherland was jailed for nine years and was disqualified from driving for 13 years and six months.

Police Scotland previously said Sutherland had been banned from driving for six months just a week before the crash. Defending, Graham Brown said Sutherland's life had been "dictated by autistic spectrum disorder" and he had worked "sporadically".

Read more on Sky News:What we know about US shooting victimTwo dead after landfill avalancheWhat is a weather bomb? Sergeant Andy Coutts, of North Lanarkshire roads policing, said: "Our thoughts remain with Margaret's family, who have been dignified and strong throughout this tragic ordeal." He said Sutherland had shown "no remorse"..