Joint minute for Stonehaven rail crash FAI expected to be agreed in new year
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for January 12 2026 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
A joint minute should be confirmed for the forthcoming fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Stonehaven rail crash, a court has heard.
Train driver Brett McCullough, 45; conductor Donald Dinnie, 58; and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62; died in the derailment near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on August 12 2020.
A criminal prosecution saw Network Rail fined £6.7 million in 2023 after it admitted health and safety failings over the crash, which happened on a day of torrential rainfall.
A preliminary hearing for the FAI has been scheduled for January 12 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, with a joint minute of agreement expected to be confirmed the same week.
Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told the court that meetings would be held in the new year with Network Rail employees.
He said: “Considerations been given to a variety of formats, whether CCTV might benefit, the work has been taking place. I anticipate we will be in a good position for January 12 for how evidence should be presented in due course.”
On Monday, a preliminary hearing with lawyers representing British Transport Police, Network Rail, ScotRail, and the Office of Rail and Road, amongst others, was told that the fatal accident inquiry could hear three weeks of evidence.
The hearing was told that a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) would be examined during the inquiry.
Sheriff Johnston said: “I have the evidence of the RAIB and conclusions of the report, as we have said previously when we had debate on status of RAIB report, the court doesn’t simply just accept the conclusions of the RAIB.”
Representing British Transport Police (BTP), Mark Hastings said: “There are four emergency services represented, Police Scotland is not, they do all approach it from a different perspective and for different purposes.
“There is a risk if treated as one… there are different learning points individually.”
Tom Brownlee, representing the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “I think all the emergency services as a combined unit are still slightly in the dark as to what their specific roles in this inquiry are.”
Sheriff Johnston said: “There is no suggestion from Crown that emergency services in anyway contributed to deaths of individuals on August 12.”
