A champion Scottish motorbike racer has been cleared of killing a pensioner. However, Alan Duffus, 62, has been found guilty of dangerous driving.
Duffus (pictured left) was cleared of allegations of racing against another motorist forty years his junior, resulting in the death of 67-year-old Senga Elder. But Duffus - who has a previous conviction for causing death by reckless and dangerous driving - was again found guilty of dangerous driving behind the wheel of his BMW sports car by a High Court jury in Dundee on Friday.
His co-accused, 22-year-old Grant Whyte (pictured right) was found guilty of death by dangerous driving and now faces jail after travelling at dangerous and excessive speeds along windy country roads.
Mrs Elder was struck down by Whyte's Vauxhall Corsa after he skidded out of control just yards from the pensioner's home in Auchtermuchty in Fife, at around 12.10pm on January 24, 2008.
A jury of ten women and five men took three hours to unanimously find Whyte guilty of death by dangerous driving, after allegations of 'racing' were removed from the charge.
Duffus - who had a corner named after him at Scotland's Knockhill raceway and owns a renowned bike shop in Kirkcaldy - was found not guilty of failing to stop at the crash scene.
After the verdict, Lady Dorrian granted the pair bail and imposed instant driving disqualifications, adding: "It is with some hesitation that I will grant the motions for bail. You should both be aware of the gravity of the situation you find yourselves in."
During the five-day trial, Duffus told the court that he had won awards in every category of motorcycle racing up to 1000cc superbikes, including five Scottish championships. He also confirmed that the first bend at the Knockhill Circuit was known as the Duffus Dip in his honour.
Asked by depute fiscal Keith Stewart if he missed racing, he replied: "No, I have done it since the 1960s. I thought it's time I was gone, and retired in 1979."
Witnesses had earlier told the court how the two motorists were tailing each other "like Formula One drivers" and taking "racing lines" around bends moments before the tragic smash.
Duffus said he had tried to "ignore" Whyte in the car travelling behind him on the B936 Falkland to Auchtermuchty road while on his way to meeting his bank manager
The jury also heard from Beverley McBain, 51, a friend of Whyte's parents, who had been walking her dog in a park when she heard a "dull thud" and then saw, what she thought was a bag of rubbish "flying through the air".
She told jurors: "I went over and saw that that the bag of rubbish was actually a body."
Duffus, of Kinnesswood, and Whyte, of North Park, Auchtermuchty, will now face sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh next month.
Last updated: 06 November 2009, 19:54
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