A woman who killed a pensioner in a road crash has avoided a jail sentence because the judge said it would interfere with her family life.

James Thomson, 73, died and three other people were seriously injured when Anna-Marie Strachan veered on to the wrong side of the A90 between Fraserburgh and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire on July 31, 2014.

The 29-year-old was seen drifting into the other lane and into the path of an oncoming Volkswagen Passat.

Witnesses said she did not take any action to avoid the collision.

Mr Thomson, who was behind the wheel of the Passat, suffered serious injuries in the crash.

They were taken to hospital for treatment and Mr Thomson died the following day.

Mr Thomson's wife Frances and two young children were also seriously hurt.

In March, Strachan, from Fraserburgh, was found guilty of causing Mr Thomson's death by dangerous driving.

She had been accused of causing the crash after taking prescription drugs and holding a phone.

The allegations were deleted after the court was told there were no records of any phone calls and the medication had no effect on the incident.

On Wednesday at the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lady Stacey said she had thought "long and hard" about the case.

She noted Strachan was the mother of two young children and their main carer and a jail sentence could mean her husband losing his job and the family home.

The judge said these factors were behind her decision not to hand Strachan a custodial sentence.

Strachan was instead sentenced to 300 hours' unpaid community work and banned from driving for eight years.