A businessman who claimed he fainted at the wheel has been convicted of killing a pensioner by dangerous driving.

Vincent Friel, 44, claimed he experienced a "total loss of control of his actions" at the wheel of his Range Rover moments before the vehicle ploughed into Charlotte Collins, 68, at a pedestrian crossing in Glasgow.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Ms Collins and her cousin Margaret Haldane, 69, were struck by the 4x4 close to the Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow.

Ms Collins, who lived in the Pollok, Glasgow, died in hospital shortly after the January 2014 incident on Barrhead Road. Her London-based relative needed emergency treatment.

Friel, who owns a property letting business, was taking blood pressure medication at the time of the collision. He was also taking Viagra and medicine to take away headaches that were brought on by having sex.

It was claimed the combined medicine caused his blood pressure to drop to such a low level as to cause him to faint.

Iain Duguid QC, defending, previously told jurors there was not enough evidence to convict Friel because he was not in control of his actions at the time of the incident.

On Wednesday, a jury of nine women and six men took an hour and 40 minutes to reject his defence. They returned guilty verdicts to charges of causing the death of Ms Collins and the serious injury of Ms Haldane by driving dangerously.

Temporary judge John Morris QC deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports about the first offender's character. He warned Friel, of Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, to expect a jail term.

Jurors saw footage of the incident from CCTV cameras on Barrhead Road. Ms Haldane told the court she was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing when she and her late cousin were hit.

She said she lay on the ground in the moments following the collision not knowing what had happened to her cousin.

Ms Haldane added: "I couldn't see her. I couldn't hear her. Nobody told me anything."

She said she learned of her relative's death while she was being treated in hospital later that evening, adding: "I didn't find out until half seven or something. I heard she was dead. Her son John came into see me and actually told me."

Jurors rejected Friel's claims shortly before 12.30pm on Wednesday. As jurors returned their verdict, a member of Friel's family stormed out of court. He said: "This is disgraceful. I can't handle this."

Mr McSporran submitted a victim impact statement from relatives of the deceased to Mr Morris. Mr McSporran said he did not want to read the contents of the "emotional" statement out in open court.

Mr Morris continued Friel's bail to his sentencing hearing. Friel wept as the judge told him that a prison sentence was inevitable. He had to be helped from court by friends who held him up.

Friel will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on March 16.