Drunk driver admits moving unconscious passenger to driver's seat after crash
The passenger had been blamed for the accident leading to the death of a 16-year-old.
For months, Ellie Plenderleith was thought to be responsible for the car crash which claimed the life of 16-year-old Jack Frame and injured two other people. She was thought to be behind the wheel of Kanad Basi's BMW 1 series two-door coupe after driving off from a party in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire.
Following the crash on February 10, 2019, Basi called emergency services and told the police that he did not recall driving the vehicle. The evidence allowed the police to uncover the truth, eventually leading to a confession from the car's owner. At High Court in Glasgow, he admitted to driving the vehicle under the influence. Court also heard that he tried to frame Plenderleith by moving her to the front seat after the crash.
The 22-year-old from Pollokshields, Glasgow had left the party in Lesmahagow around 2 am with Frame in the from seat and Plenderleith and Aiden O'Donnell in the back seat. While on New Trows Road, Lesmahagow, he lost control of the vehicle, crashing it into a tree on the Hollandbush Golf Club grounds.
Basi was the only person in the vehicle with the seatbelt on. Upon impact, Frame got trapped in the front seat with his head wedged under the glovebox. Both O'Donnell and Plenderleith became unconscious. The driver was the only person left conscious. He called emergency services from O'Donnell's phone. He initially told the emergency services that he was driving.
When the medics and police arrived, they found Plenderleith in the driver's seat. When they questioned the surviving passengers, they all failed to recall the events leading to the crash. According to The Sun, Basi told the authorities that the 20-year-old woman was driving the car at the time of the accident.
The police found Basi's blood and DNA on the driver's side airbag, the Daily Mail reported. His breath test showed an alcohol count of 37, where the legal limit of driving after drinking is 22. Traces of cocaine and ecstasy were also found in his blood samples.
On Tuesday, September 22 Basi finally admitted to being the one behind the wheel. He said that he tried to frame Plenderleith by placing her in the front seat.
He will be sentenced next month and until then, he will remain in police custody as the trial continues.
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