Police Scotland spent more than £200,000 on legal services during the inquiry into the tragic deaths of two people left undiscovered for three days following a crash on one of Scotland’s busiest motorways.
Lamara Bell, 25, and John Yuill, 28, were returning from a camping trip on 5 July 2015 when their Renault Clio veered off the M9 near Stirling. Despite police being alerted to the crash, the couple remained trapped in the wreckage until they were finally discovered on 8 July.
Mr Yuill, a father of five, was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ms Bell, a mother of two, was taken to hospital, where she died four days later.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the case, which concluded in May last year, found that police call-handling failures were responsible for the delay in locating the vehicle.
The report stated that Ms Bell would likely have survived had she received medical attention on 5 July, though she may have suffered long-term neurological damage.
Prior to the inquiry, Police Scotland was fined £100,000 at the High Court in Edinburgh in September 2021 after admitting to health and safety failings that “materially contributed” to Ms Bell’s death. The force also paid over £1 million in damages to her family in December 2021.
A recent Freedom of Information request revealed that Police Scotland spent £210,258.30 on legal fees during the inquiry—accounting for nearly 65% of the £325,214.88 spent on Fatal Accident Inquiries over the past three years.
The force also faced significant legal costs in another lengthy FAI into the death of Warren Fenty.
The 20-year-old was found unconscious in a house in Aberdeen on 28 June 2014 following an apparent overdose.
After being taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he expressed his intention to discharge himself but was instead arrested on suspicion of drug offences and taken into custody at Kittybrewster station. He later died from a suspected overdose.
The Sheriff overseeing the inquiry ruled that Mr Fenty’s death in police custody was “likely avoidable.” The decade-long investigation, which concluded in May 2024, cost Police Scotland £62,292.48 in legal fees.
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs emphasised the importance of FAIs in ensuring accountability, stating, “Fatal Accident Inquiries are an important part of the process for families seeking answers over the death of a loved one, and we will always cooperate fully.”
