A DRIVER was cleared of causing the death of a woman who stalled her car in the middle of a road during a stargazing trip in the early hours of the morning.

Alistair Mackintosh, 24, of Drumnadrochit in the Highlands, was found not guilty by a majority verdict at Inverness Sheriff Court of causing the death of Claire McDonald, 35, by driving carelessly and failing to keep a look-out for other vehicles and hazards on the road.

She and her partner, Ritchie Vaughan, 35, had gone stargazing on August 12, 2012 near Loch Ness.