Wendy Pullar

Introduction

Wendy Pullar is a Scottish motorist who was convicted of causing the death of Neil Black, a 68-year-old grandfather of eleven, by careless driving, after she pulled out of a junction into the path of his motorcycle on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2025. Sentencing her on 4 September 2026, Sheriff Ralph said no size of penalty could adequately reflect or compensate for the loss, and that Black — engaged to be married, a father of four who had found love again late in life — “ought reasonably to have been able to assume that he was safe to proceed on his motorcycle that day, as he had done countless times before.” Pullar, who had no criminal record, stopped and assisted at the scene and expressed remorse; she received a community payback order of eighty hours of unpaid work and a twelve-month driving disqualification .

Background Information

Neil Black was 68 at the time of his death. After the premature death of his wife he had devoted himself to raising his children, taking his grandchildren to school and giving daily physical and emotional help; he had found love again and was engaged to be married. His death came on Easter Sunday, shortly after he had left a family gathering at the home of one of his daughters — a house just a mile from the accident site — and when word of the tragedy reached the family, some attended the scene and saw the aftermath. The victim impact statements were described by the sheriff as measured and dignified, speaking to how much he was loved and relied on for love, support, advice and humour, and how he is missed every day .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Admitted causing the death of motorcyclist Neil Black by careless driving at a junction; eighty hours of unpaid work and a one-year driving ban.

Pullar pleaded guilty to a contravention of section 2B of the Road Traffic Act 1988 — causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving. The court accepted that at the mouth of the junction she would have had an unobstructed view of Black approaching on her right, but she did not see him; he was only around twenty metres from her vehicle when she began her turn. Rule 172 of the Highway Code requires drivers to give way to traffic on the main road when emerging from a junction with broken white lines, and the sheriff found she performed a turn “when it was simply not safe to carry out the manoeuvre” — a fundamental error that placed the offence in Level B of the sentencing guideline: carelessness arising from more than momentary inattention, though not falling just short of dangerous driving .

Applying the guideline’s Level B, Level 2 outcome, the sheriff balanced aggravating and mitigating factors. In aggravation: Black was a vulnerable road user. In mitigation: Pullar’s lack of a criminal record, her appropriate actions to assist at the scene, her expressions of remorse, her acceptance of responsibility through her plea, and the effect the offence has had on her own mental health, personality and day-to-day life, as reflected in the social work report and testimonials describing the change the tragedy has brought about in her character. The headline sentence of 120 hours of unpaid work was reduced to eighty hours for the plea, to be completed within nine months, and the headline disqualification of eighteen months was reduced to twelve months .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case illustrates the non-custodial range of Scotland’s death-by-careless-driving guideline: for Level B, Level 2 offending the guideline outcome is a community payback order rather than custody, and the sheriff applied it while acknowledging that “no size of penalty can adequately reflect or compensate for the loss suffered.” The family’s victim impact statements — which the court described as measured and dignified — anchored its assessment of the harm: the loss of a man who was “clearly a much loved man who was always ready to help those in need,” but whose family was the most important priority of his life .

Current Status

Pullar’s conviction and sentence were recorded on 4 September 2026: a community payback order of eighty hours of unpaid work to be completed within nine months, and disqualification from driving for twelve months. The sheriff expressed the hope that all parties could find some degree of closure with the conclusion of the proceedings. The published statement records no appeal and no further proceedings against her .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Pullar now carries a criminal conviction for causing a death — the most serious category of driving offence short of dangerous driving — together with a driving disqualification, for a momentary failure at a junction that ended the life of a man two decades her senior with eleven grandchildren. The sentencing statement records that the tragedy has changed her own character and daily life, according to the testimonials the court accepted, and her name is permanently attached to the court’s finding that a turn executed when it was “simply not safe” cost Neil Black his life .

Sources

• “HMA v Wendy Pullar” — Judiciary of Scotland sentencing statement, 4 September 2026: source