Crap policing in Strathclyde

These parents were let down firstly by the police, who investigated the death of a child cyclist in an amateurish and highly prejudicial fashion. But they were also let down by the judicial system, which allowed the driver who killed their son to continue driving and punished her with a trivial fine.

Sam Beasley, 14, from Corrie, Arran, died from chest injuries after being hit from behind by a car in July 2003 as he returned home from his summer job.

Sam's parents Alan and Joyce Beasley were angered that driver Catherine Munro, who was found guilty of careless driving, was only fined £500 and had six penalty points on her licence when she appeared in court in October 2004.

The Beasleys criticised Strathclyde Police over its handling of the incident and its aftermath.

The key failing upheld by the commissioner was allowing the driver and her car to leave the scene shortly after the incident. The other five complaints upheld were – not fully closing the road after the incident, leaving a wheelie bin at the scene exposed, failing to place the vehicle involved under cover, failure to trace other witnesses and failure to use appeal boards.