Jilted man murdered bus driver as he tried to take own life in botched crash

Judge condemns ‘most selfish’ of killings

- By Grant McCabe

A SUICIDAL man who deliberately drove into a bus killing the young driver has been convicted of murder.

David Livingstone had planned to take his own life having been dumped by his long-term partner.

The callous 44-year-old had even played an online yes/no game shortly before the fatal collision to decide his fate.

Livingstone was then in his work’s Ford Transit van when he smashed into the single-decker Stagecoach bus driven by Gordon Stirling.

The 23-year-old never survived while two passengers were hurt following the crash on A77 near Fenwick, Ayrshire in August 2023.

Livingstone was also badly injured and appeared for his trial at the High Court in Glasgow still in a wheelchair.

He denied intending to commit suicide claiming he had no memory of the collision. But jurors yesterday found him guilty of murder. A judge described it as the “most-selfish” killing he had seen during his decades in the courts.

Members of Mr Stirling’s emotional family were in court for the verdict.

They attended with his ashes in an urn kept inside in a rucksack that once belonged to him.

The family all wore purple T-shirts which had been Mr Stirling’s favourite colour.

They will hear what the minimum Livingstone will spend behind bars when he returns to the dock next month.