County Antrim Man Accepts Responsibility for Child’s Death by Careless Driving

A pensioner from County Antrim has admitted causing the death of a schoolgirl by careless driving in August 2023.

John Noble Lindsay, aged 92, of Prince Andrew Way, Carrickfergus, appeared before Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to causing the death of eight-year-old Scarlett Rossborough by careless driving on Carrickfergus’ High Street.

Initially, he had faced a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, but the prosecution added the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving, to which he admitted. He has, however, denied the original charge of dangerous driving.

During the hearing, defence counsel Frank O’Donoghue KC stated that while the defendant acknowledged his driving resulted in the schoolgirl’s death, the key legal question was whether it should be classified as dangerous or careless.

O’Donoghue also mentioned a report from a consultant geriatrician, which suggested the incident may have involved “pedal misapplication” – a condition where an elderly person mistakenly presses the accelerator instead of the brake. This report will be submitted as evidence in the case.

Prosecution counsel David Russell KC requested that Lindsay be disqualified from driving following his guilty plea, which the judge ordered. A trial date for the dangerous driving charge is set for 4 November, with the case due for review early next month.