A FORMER motorcycle racing champion has been found guilty of dangerous driving following the death of a pensioner in a road - his THIRD conviction for road crashes in which people have been killed.Last week, Visordown reported the news that 67-year-old Senga Elder's death by dangerous driving .Following a five-day trial, Duffus was convicted of the lesser charge of dangerous driving.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
However, after his conviction Dundee High Court was told this was Duffus' THIRD conviction over road crashes in which women had been killed.According to today's Scottish Daily Record, Duffus was found guilty of causing death by reckless driving after crashing a car in which his 23-year-old woman passenger died in 1980.Three years later, in 1983, he was in court again when he crashed his motorcycle into a car, causing the death of a 61-year-old mother-of-four.After the verdicts yesterday, Chief Inspector John Macdonald blasted both drivers' conduct.He said: "This was not a road accident, it was a brutal criminal act. So dangerous was the driving of these individuals, it was a miracle that only Senga lost her life."Motorbike dealer Duffus was found guilty of dangerous driving because of this incident and his excessive speed.Sentencing of the pair was deferred until next month after judge Lady Dorrian called for background reports.Duffus also declined to comment on the case as he left the building.Chief Insp Macdonald said: "All this lady was doing was walking home after a day's work and her life was taken in a moment of totally avoidable madness. If it were not for the actions of Whyte and Duffus, Senga Elder would still be with her family."<o:p></o:p>
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TC thats what i was thinking, based against what has been in the papers recently, sentence should prove interesting and would have thought anybody local would boycott his shop IMO
how has this bloke been alowed to kill 3 people on the roads on seperate occassions its discusting he should of been banned from driving for life! not only that but why didnt he learn that that driving like an idoit on public roads is can kill, the first time it happened! If id caused somebodys death by driving/riding like a tit id struggle to use the roads ever agian!
Its all down to the what you have done in the past is just that in your past, if you have done your 'time' for it then you have paid your debt.
People like him do not deserve to walk freely let alone still be able to ride/drive & its clear he has not learnt any lessons.
Allan Duffus,remember racing against him at Croft in the 70s,total pr**t,took his best mate down on the first corner,ran into him,so he has not changed,still a idiot,sometimes the law gets it wrong,he should have been put away a long time ago,and still should be there.
Also as far as i remember he was never a Champion of anything apart from crashing,his on the other hand was a good rider and took part in the 600 series.
Former motorbike racer spared jail for his role in THIRD death smash
Dec 4 2009 By James Moncur
A FORMER motorbike racer who drove dangerously before a fatal crash was spared jail yesterday.
It was the THIRD time that Alan Duffus, 62, had walked free after a death crash case.
And the furious sister of the victim of the first smash said last night: "He is like teflon. Nothing sticks to him.
"What have you got to do these days to get locked up?"
Duffus had been accused of causing the death of 67-year-old gran Senga Elder by dangerous driving in Auchtermuchty, Fife, last year.
Prosecutors claimed he was racing his co-accused, Grant Whyte, 22, in a powerful BMW Z4 when Whyte mounted the pavement in his Vauxhall Corsa and hit the old lady.
But a jury last month cleared Duffus of racing and causing Senga's death and convicted him of the lesser charge of dangerous driving.
And at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, judge Lady Dorrian gave him 240 hours community service and banned him from the roads for 10 years.
She told him: "While your driving was deficient, it did not cause the accident."
Whyte was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned for 10 years.
Duffus was fined £2500 and banned for three years in 1980 for causing the death of a passenger in his Jaguar, 23-year-old Jacqueline Crombie, by reckless driving.
He lost control, flew 70 feet through the air and smashed into a farm wall. He left Jacqueline dying in the wreck.
Then, in 1983, less than three months after he got his licence back, Duffus slammed his motorbike into the back of a family car. Car passenger Rebecca Knought, 61, was killed.
Duffus was charged with causing Rebecca's death by reckless driving but convicted only of careless driving. He was fined £250 and given another three-year ban.
When a social worker interviewed Duffus about Senga Elder's death, he tried to play down his involvement and his record of poor driving.
And Jacqueline Crombie's sister Karen was horrified to see the five-time Scottish bike racing champion escape prison yet again.
Karen said through tears: "Duffus is very lucky I wasn't at court - the b*****d makes me so angry.
"How many death crashes has he got to be involved in before someone takes notice?
"Justice has certainly not been done in this case or in my sister's. The courts should either have jailed Duffus or let me deal with him personally."
Senga's family refused to comment.
Six witnesses told the trial of Duffus and Whyte how they saw two cars driving bumper to bumper at excessive speeds just before Senga was killed.
It was alleged that Duffus and Whyte had been racing each other for three miles, tailgating each other and repeatedly swerving on to the wrong side of the road.
The High Court in Dundee heard that Duffus slowed down suddenly just before a 30mph limit sign and Whyte, who was close behind him in his modified Corsa, left the road and hit Senga.
The pensioner, of Auchtermuchty, was hurled through the air and into a skate park. She died instantly of head and spinal injuries.
The court was also told that before the fatal crash, a woman driver had to swerve to avoid Duffus's sports car as he crossed on to her side of the road.
He was convicted of dangerous driving because of this incident, and his speed.
Duffus, a motorbike dealer from Kinneswood, Fife, denied racing Whyte and said he had nothing to do with Senga's death. He claimed he didn't even notice at first that there had been an accident.
But after the trial, police savaged both Duffus and Whyte.
Chief Inspector John Macdonald said: "This was not a road accident - it was a brutal criminal act.
"So dangerous was the driving of these individuals, it was a miracle that only Senga lost her life."
Yesterday, Duffus's QC Peter Gray asked the judge to show him mercy. He pointed out his client had been cleared of racing Whyte.
But while she did not send Duffus to prison, Lady Dorrian made it clear what she thought of his conduct.
She told him: "At your age, and with your background and previous conviction, you should be only too well aware of the possible consequences from driving recklessly on a public road. I am not impressed with your behaviour."
The judge told first offender Whyte, a delivery driver from Auchtermuchty, that he would have to live with his responsibility for Senga's death.
But she added:"The Elder family have to live with the consequences."
Whyte's QC, Andrew Lamb, told the court: "This young man is devastated by the consequences, not just for his family but also for the family of the deceased. He has shown genuine remorse."
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