Catherine Torrance was left devastated after a jury cleared lorry driver Andrew Chilton over the death of her son Derek, who lived in Johnstone.

The heartbroken mum insists there has been no justice for Derek, who she described as “a very, very loving son and brother.” Derek had just finished a shift at the IKEA store in Renfrew, where he worked as a cleaner, when he was hit by Chilton’s truck in February 2012.

The 20-year-old was struck by Chilton’s HGV in Paisley’s Gauze Street and was rushed to hospital but sadly died from the chest injuries he sustained.

Chilton was arrested and charged with causing death by driving without due care and attention, and went on trial at Paisley Sheriff Court.

Giving evidence in his own defence Chilton, who lives in Glasgow, said hitting Derek was unavoidable.

He said he had done everything he possibly could to see the youngster and just hadn’t spotted him on the road.

He explained: “I was doing the best I could with the view and the surroundings that I had.” A jury found the charge that he caused Derek’s death by driving without due care and attention not proven and he walked free from court.

The verdict came as a huge blow to Derek’s parents, John and Catherine, and brothers John, Neil and Alex.

After the sad news, Catherine took to Facebook to vent her frustrations.

She wrote: “To everyone who knew my son Derek Torrance I just want to let you all know that the court case of his death was this week.

“To say that we had a strong case was an understatement.

“So why a jury of his peers could find this man not proven is a disgrace to the meaning of a fair and true trial.” The distraught mum, who attended court throughout Chilton’s trial, also thanked the witnesses for going to court and reliving the events of that fateful day.

Chilton, who still works as an HGV driver, insisted there was nothing he could have done to prevent him hitting Derek, who was on the road when Chilton turned the corner.

The driver said that when he knocked down Derek he thought he’d hit a pot hole.

The 37-year-old told the court: “I felt the back end of the truck bounce and as soon as I did I stopped the vehicle and got out.

“I was shocked and scared. I couldn’t believe what had happened.” Chilton told the nine men and six women of the jury that he was checking both his side mirrors, looking in front of him and looking out for passengers as he turned left from Smithhill Street into Gauze Street.

He said the Mercedes lorry he was driving at the time had several blind spots and said he was also looking behind him to make sure the back end of the vehicle didn’t hit anything.

He also said the incident had had a lasting effect on him.

He explained: “It’s been playing on my mind for two-and-a-half years. I’ve thought about it a lot.” The jury took just a couple of hours to find the charge against Chilton not proven by majority and the father-of-two walked free from court.

Catherine wrote on Facebook afterwards: “This man has made a new baby in the time that my family have been grieving for the loss of a kind hearted and very, very loving son and brother.

“I think that people should know these things.

“I am so disappointed in the human race when justice can’t be done.” In a later post she said: “I will always love you and miss the fun and laughter that was with you.” And she said that, every year from now, on Derek’s birthday, she would “post a message to be shared so he is never forgotten.”