German tourist in UK kills motorist after driving on wrong side of the motorway

A German tourist has been convicted of killing a motorist in the UK after driving on the wrong side of the motorway. Matthias Hunecke, 49, was on holiday with his wife in Scotland when they visited Invermiston Falls, a beauty spot close to Inverness, in July 2022. Shocking CCTV showed the moment Hunecke drove their hired car out of the car park and onto the opposite side of the A82 carriageway, into oncoming traffic. He continued to drive in the wrong lane for more than 300 metres before he collided with a Ducati motorcycle which was being driven by Michael Gall, 51, who then fell to the ground and died at the scene. During his evidence and cross-examination by advocate depute Louise Beattie, "serial entrepreneur" Hunecke said he could not remember driving on the wrong side of the road. But he also mentioned that he "got a shock" when he realised he was on the wrong side of the road and moved over to the correct lane. Both Hunecke and his wife said the crash happened shortly after she had asked him to move closer to the side of the road, so she could throw an apple core into the grass verge. He also confirmed to the advocate depute that he blamed the collision on Mr Gall, a "devoted father", for being in the wrong lane. Mrs Hunecke broke down in tears as she described the crash in court. The couple had travelled on the ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle, before renting the red MG car and later travelling up to Scotland. They had stayed in Invergordon the night before the crash, and were on the A82 while on their way to Rothes. She said the pair had just been having a "usual conversation" at the time they left the car park, and she wanted to find somewhere to find a good place to stop and take pictures. "After I threw the apple, everything went so fast," she added, before starting to cry. Mrs Hunecke said the "terrible accident" happened shortly afterward. Defence counsel David Moggach KC asked whether she saw whether Mr Gall hit anything, and she replied: "I think I closed my eyes, I can't tell." She added that the driver of a black car got out and helped the couple give Mr Gall first aid. After stopping again and breaking into tears, she added: "It was just a terrible situation." The advocate depute asked Mrs Hunecke whether she had noticed her husband driving on the wrong side of the road. "I just wasn't aware. I was just being in thought, having a good day," she replied. Despite Hunecke's claims that Mr Gall had been the one on the wrong side of the road, a jury took just three hours to convict him of dangerous driving at the High Court in Inverness. After the verdict, Judge Bain KC told Hunecke that he had brought an end to the life of Mr Gall, who had 22 years of experience on a motorcycle. "Video footage shows him driving carefully with respect for other road users," she told him. "The same cannot be said for you. You excited the car park on the wrong side of the road and continued. "His life was prematurely and tragically brought to an end and he will never again return to his family. You will have to live with the devastating consequences - but live you will - unlike Michael." Huneke was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on June 19 at the High Court in Dundee. Mr Gall's family called the guilty verdict a "relief and a vindication".