A woman has been charged in connection with the horror motorbike crash that claimed the life of a "caring" RAF serviceman grandfather in Aberdeenshire.
Corporal David Thorne, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on the A96 in Huntly at around 11.30am on Tuesday, March 5, 2023. A 32-year-old woman has now been charged in connection with the fatal crash that happened on the Inverness to Aberdeen road, at the junction with A920 Deveron Road and involved a motorbike and a car.
While Corporal David Thorne was killed in the collision while riding a red Honda VFR800 motorcycle, the then 31-year-old female driver of the white BMW i4 was uninjured. She has since been charged in connection with road traffic offences and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal
Corporal Thorne, known to his colleagues as Dave, served in the RAF for 26 years as an aircraft technician and was serving on 1 (Fighter) Squadron. He was married, with three children and two grandchildren.
Following the tragic news, an air force spokesperson said: “While the RAF will deeply mourn his passing, the thoughts of everyone at RAF Lossiemouth are firmly with his wife Michelle, his mother Sally, his father Graham, his children Aaron, Katy and Ash, and his grandchildren, Lauren and Miles.”
RAF officials said he saw service on overseas operations on five occasions, completing two tours on Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, with tours in Cyprus and one deployment to the Falklands.
Corporal Thorne, originally from Wales, first joined RAF Lossiemouth in 2007 but was on leave when he died as a result of the crash. The Air Force said he was recently offered promotion to Sergeant which reflected his “professionalism and leadership".
RAF Lossiemouth station commander, Group Captain Jim Lee, said: “All of us at RAF Lossiemouth are joined together in grief following the sad loss of one of our dear colleagues, Corporal Dave Thorne. Having served here for over 16 years, spanning the Tornado and Typhoon eras, he made a huge contribution right across the station.
“He cared about people and was passionate about improving their day-to-day life in work. He lived the values we hold dear on our station and his loss is felt by us all. Most importantly, he was a son, husband, and father. His family are deep in our thoughts at this difficult time, and we stand ready to support them with whatever they may need.”
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