
First picture of motorcyclist killed in horror crash outside Scots village
A motorcyclist who tragically died in a horror crash outside a Scots village has been named as Julien Marchand.
The incident took place at around 4.05pm on Friday, 23 May on the A819 near Tullich when emergency services were called to a report of a crash involving a Triumph Tiger motorcycle and a Ford Transit Luton van.
The rider of the motorcycle, 48-year-old Julian, was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time.
The driver of the van was uninjured. The road was closed for around 10 hours to allow for investigations to take place.
Sergeant Kenneth Malaney said: 'Our thoughts remain with Julien's family and friends as they come to terms with their loss.
'Our enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the crash are ongoing and we are asking anyone who have any information to contact police.
'If you can assist our enquires in any way, please contact police on 101, quoting incident 2380 of 23 May 2025.'
It comes as another biker was killed when his Sherco 290 bike crashed in Auchinleck, Ayrshire, shortly after midnight on Saturday, May 24.
Police named him as 34-year-old Kris Leitch. No other vehicles were involved. Main Street in Auchinleck was closed for six hours following the crash.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sergeant Brian Simpson previously said: 'Our thoughts remain with Kris's family and friends as they come to terms with their terrible loss.
'Our enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the crash are ongoing and we are asking anyone who saw the motorbike prior to the crash, or has any dashcam footage, to please contact police.
"We are also keen to speak with anyone who attended the scene to assist but did not remain to provide their details to officers.
'If you can assist our enquiries in any way, please call police on 101, quoting incident 0082 of May 24.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh gangster Mark Richardson's unexpected talent before life as crime boss
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson was a promising young footballer before turning to a life of crime, it has been revealed. Richardson, 38, is understood to have played in the same Hibernian youth team as former Celtic and Scotland star Scott Brown. However, he stepped away from the sport and is now at the centre of a gangland war that began in Edinburgh, despite being behind bars. The Daily Record has suggested Richardson was 'born into a life of crime', and is said to have sold drugs as young as 12-years-old. Richardson first came to public attention in 2007 when he and his dad, also called Mark were caught dealing coke. Mark Richardson Snr, 44, was jailed for four and a half years and 19 year old Mark jnr for 32 months. Two years later he was arrested as part of an alleged dog fighting ring in the East End of Edinburgh. Charges would later be dropped with claims that witnesses were too scared to testify. In 2010 Richardson was back behind bars having been sentenced to ten years for his part in a cocaine and crack cocaine distribution network. At the time he was said to have a criminal empire worth £5million in property, vehicles and jewellery. He was also said to controlled almost three quarters of the capital's deadly cocaine trade and was one of the major players in Scotland's underworld. His customers ranged from cocaine-snorting partygoers in the capital's trendiest clubs and desperate junkies hooked on rocks of crack cocaine. Undercover police officers had been on Richardson's trail for months and had tailed him to meetings with Kevin "The Gerbil" Carroll - feared enforcer for the Glasgow based Daniel crime clan. In 2009 Richardson was holding regular summits with the 29-year-old - who was shot dead in an Asda car park in Robroyston, Glasgow, in January 2010 - and cops watched as the pair dined together in Glasgow's trendy Merchant City Italian Kitchen restaurant. Carroll's name was later found on a list of people Richardson had been lending money hidden in a photo frame during a raid. The total amount involved came to £84,260 - but the exact sum Carroll owed couldn't be made out. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox As well as counting Carroll among his cronies, Richardson was an associate of taxi firm owner and Daniel family member Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. In the police raid that led to his arrest and imprisonment officers had found him personally preparing cocaine for sale as crack cocaine. In a separate raid in the capital's Inch area, cops discovered a cache of shotgun cartridges, bullets and knives hidden in decking in a back garden Richardson was released from prison in 2014 and in November that year was photographed by our sister paper the Sunday Mail with Steven Daniel at a meeting with multi-millionaire taxi boss and property tycoon Stevie Malcolm. Malcolm, one of Scotland's richest men, said the pair had wanted to add taxis to his fleet, but he wasn't interested because he knew "one of them was dodgy." However it wasn't long before Richardson was back inside. In January 2017 he was arrested in Baillieston, Glasgow, as part of major crackdown on organised crime. Twelve months later he would be among nine men jailed for a total of 87 years The nine were described as one of the most sophisticated crime rings ever to operate in Scotland. Detective Chief Supt Gerry McLean who led the investigation codenamed Operation Escalade described Scotland as a "much safer place" with the gang including Richardson off the streets. Richardson, now 30, had initially been suspected of the shootings of underworld figures Ross Monaghan and Robert Kelbie but was given a term of eight years and nine months after admitting having a Glock handgun in a hidden compartment in his car. In May that year in a bizarre turn of events his father blamed him for destroying their family with his criminal activities. Mark Snr said his own marriage crumbled and he turned to heavy cocaine use in the wake of his son's offending. Both him, his wife and their other son Dale had also been given "Osman letters" by police telling them their lives were in danger. The details emerged when the father appeared on drug dealing charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. He was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to having £1320 of cocaine in his van in the city. In 2019 while languishing in prison there was fresh blow for Richardson when a close fiend former boxer and Trainspotting 2 star Bradley Welsh was shot dead outside his home in Edinburgh's posh new town. A Sean Orman was given life for the killing in May 2021 and told he must serve 28 years before he can be considered for parole. Even today the motive for Welsh's death remains unclear. The shooting was said to have been ordered by an Edinburgh crime figure linked to the Lyons family and may have been aimed at Richardson as much as Welsh. Richardson is currently serving his third jail term since 2007 but time behind bars does not appear to be a deterrent due to the riches that can be earned from a life of crime. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages In an interview last month for Criminal Record the former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Drug Enforcement Agency Graeme Pearson called for greater powers for the police and courts to both freeze and seize criminal assets. Pearson said: "The last 20 years have shown what happens when one is relaxed about how you address the seizure of assets from organised crime. "We do not seize enough and draw the wealth that comes from it. That is the key to tackling organised crime - you reduce the profit then you seize the profit." Richardson was back on the front pages in March this year when members of a group linked to former Rangers ultra leader Ross McGill began a series of attacks on members and associates of the Daniel family in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It was said that an associate of Richardson had ripped of McGill in a £500,000 cocaine deal paid for with fake notes. During this period of violence Richardson was reportedly put in isolation for his own protection at Low Moss jail in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow. A far cry from his days as a promising young Hibs player almost 25 years ago. Richardson is due to be released from prison soon but appears to be a marked man - as he has been for most of his life.


Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Daughter killed in head-on ambulance crash remembered by parents as 'caring and confident'
Lauren McFarland was hailed as "beautiful, caring and confident". The parents of a woman who died in a head-on crash with an ambulance as she made her way to work has been hailed by her heartbroken parents amid a probe into her death. Lauren McFarland passed away after losing control of her car while commuting to work, shortly after she had returned from her dream holiday. Her grieving mum and dad described the 30-year-old - who was treated at the scene by the paramedic from the ambulance she crashed into - as "beautiful, caring and confident". She was killed when her red Fiat Punto spun into the path the oncoming emergency vehicle in the Lake District causing her fatal injuries on January 11 last year. The Mirror reports an inquest at Cockermouth Coroner's Court heard she had just returned from her dream holiday to the Himalayas and Everest Base Camp. The hearing heard the travel advisor was travelling east on the A66 near Keswick to her work in Penrith when the collision occurred at around 8.45am. The driver of the ambulance, paramedic Abigail Routledge, and her colleague, suffered minor injuries and immediately rushed to Ms McFarland's aid. The ambulance had no patients on board and the paramedics were returning to base at the end of their shift. They were joined by other medics shortly after, including from an air ambulance, but Ms McFarland's injuries were deemed 'unsurvivable', and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms McFarland's family paid tribute in a statement shortly after her death, saying: "Lauren was the beloved daughter of David and Paula and granddaughter of Cynthia, Billy and Helen. "She will be sadly missed by many uncles, aunties, cousins, nieces, friends and colleagues. Lauren touched the hearts of everyone she met with her happy and outgoing personality. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "She was a beautiful, caring and confident person who loved the outdoors and adventure." Ms McFarland was identified by her friend, Freya Graham, who came upon the scene shortly after the incident. A collision investigation report by Cumbria Police found neither driver was intoxicated, and Ms Routledge would have had 'no opportunity' to avoid the collision. Ms McFarland was not using her mobile phone around the time of the incident, and no evidence was found she suffered a medical episode at the wheel. Dashcam footage revealed as Ms McFarland was negotiating a left-hand band, her car was seen positioned towards the centre line of the single carriageway A66. She was seen to make a manoeuvre back to the near side, which caused her car to rotate clockwise, and into the opposite carriageway into the path of the ambulance. A statement submitted to the court by Ms McFarland's father, David McFarland, said she had recently returned from a three-week 'dream trip' to Everest Base Camp. She had accompanied customers from the travel company she worked for, and was looking forward to going again last year. Mr McFarland said his daughter's health and fitness were 'excellent'. He said she regularly ran trail races at a competitive level, having 'excelled' at sports from an early age. She grew up in Bridgefoot, and had attended Cockermouth School, where she 'flourished' and completed A-Levels. She attended London Metropolitan University where she gained a degree in sports therapy, and made 'friends from all around the world'. The court heard Ms McFarland had a 'passion for horses ' from a young age, and competed nationally in equestrian competitions, being mentioned in Horse and Hound magazine. After leaving London, Ms McFarland had lived in Pontefract and Leeds, working for the NHS, before moving back to Cumbria and deciding to pursue a career in the travel industry. Ms McFarland had 12 years of driving experience, having gained her license at age 18. Assistant coroner for Cumbria, Margaret Taylor, said Ms McFarland was 'clearly a very talented young woman'. Ms Taylor said: "She should have had a long life ahead of her with many more adventures. We have heard that there was some evidence of a leak of air from the rear offside tyre of Lauren's Fiat. "What we don't know is whether this contributed to the collision or loss of control. It's possible it may have been lost on collision but it's a possibility that it may have affected her ability to control the car. "It's probable that she died upon impact." Ms Taylor concluded that Ms MacFarland died as a result of multiple traumatic injuries sustained in a road traffic collision


Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Nicola Sturgeon 'still misses Alex Salmond in some way'
Ms Sturgeon said she misses the relationship she used to have with her mentor. Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she still misses her mentor Alex Salmond 'in some way'. The pair formed one of the most successful political partnerships in UK history however their relationship deteriorated and then broke down after sexual misconduct allegations against him emerged. Following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2020, Mr Salmond was cleared of all 13 charges, which included attempted rape and sexual offences. In an exclusive interview with ITV News before the publication of her memoir Frankly on Thursday August 14, Ms Sturgeon said she misses the relationship she used to have with her mentor. And she said she was hit by a 'wave of grief' after hearing of his death in October last year. Speaking to ITV News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, she said: 'Even today I still miss him in some way, the person that I used to know and the relationship we used to have. 'But I thought I had made my peace with it, that I'd got to a point where I felt nothing. 'And then I got a call to tell me that Alex Salmond had died. I started crying on the phone and I just was hit by this wave of grief… and it was complicated because obviously we weren't just no longer friends, we were political enemies. 'There was no prospect I was going to be able to go to his funeral or anything like that and it was a kind of strange, strange feeling.' Mr Sa lmond went on to become leader of the Alba Party, which became a frequent critic of his former party the SNP. He died suddenly of a heart attack in October in North Macedonia at the age of 69. Ms Sturgeon, who succeeded him as Scotland's first minister in 2014, said: 'At the point he died, I hadn't spoken to him for years. 'I felt really deeply the loss of the relationship with him. I suddenly didn't have him. He wasn't there. I couldn't talk to him. And I went through this period of I would still talk to him in my head. 'I would have vivid dreams that we were still on good terms. And then I'd have this feeling of such sadness when I remembered the reality. 'So, I went through that process. I still missed him in some bizarre way.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. During the interview Ms Sturgeon is also asked by Ms Etchingham about her description of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as 'odious' in her memoir. She said: 'This is my impression, other people might have a different view of him. He just comes across as somebody who's got a very, very fragile ego. 'Somebody who's not particularly comfortable, particularly around women. 'In the 2015 leaders debate just before we went on air that night, I just remember hearing him tell somebody how much he'd had to drink, in the green room area beforehand, and it just felt this kind of bravado and just not very pleasant.'