A BUS driver has been cleared of killing a pedestrian during a journey which had tragic consequences.

Christopher Irwin, 46, was on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court accused of causing the death of 39-year-old Kevin McFadden by careless driving.

Court papers stated Irwin, of Paisley, was driving without due care and attention on a double-decker bus on February 12, 2020.

It was claimed that he failed to make proper observations of the road, including pedestrians such as Mr McFadden.

The charge said Mr McFadden approached and crossed at the junction of Battlefield Road and Brisbane Street, near Glasgow's Langside.

Irwin was alleged to have made a right-turn manoeuvre from Battlefield Road into Brisbane Street when it was unsafe to do so.

The allegations said he continued to fail to make proper observations of road users and entered Brisbane Street when it was unsafe to do so.

It was claimed that Irwin did not give priority to pedestrians, including Mr McFadden, and caused the bus to collide with him whereby he was so severely injured that he died.

Passenger Natalie Scott told the court in her evidence that she got a "bit of a fright" after the bus hit Mr McFadden.

Jurors heard that she ran down the stairs and went to the exit.

She added: “The driver was visibly distressed, in a state of shock. The driver said ‘where the f*** did he come from?’

“I told him I didn’t know.”

When interviewed by police, Irwin said he only became aware of Mr McFadden upon impact.

He added: "There was no way I couldn't have seen him before, he just wasn't there.

"The first time I saw him was the impact on the side of the bus. At that moment, I was in shock.

"I didn't really know what I was doing to be honest, my heart was pounding, I was a bag of nerves but he just appeared.

"I went to the work to do my work, I didn't go to work to intentionally knock someone down."

Irwin was found not guilty by the jury and was formally acquitted by Sheriff Brian Cameron.