Driver, 20, who inhaled laughing gas moments before he hit and killed cyclist, 81, on pedestrian crossing faces a 'very long time in jail'

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A driver who allegedly inhaled laughing gas just moments before he hit and killed an elderly cyclist on a pedestrian crossing faces a lengthy spell in jail, a court has heard.
Cain Byrne, 20, smashed into Graham Slinn, 81, as he walked across the A57 near Todwick, South Yorkshire beside his bicycle, prosecutor Laura Marshall told Sheffield Crown Court.
The motorist, who has never held a driving licence, is said to have ignored a red light while driving his Volkswagen Golf, throwing the victim at least 15ft in the air.
Witnesses claimed Byrne made no attempt to stop and was travelling at speeds above the 50mph limit, with some saying he was driving at 80mph.
He allegedly sped off after the collision on April 4, with dashcam footage showing his tyres smoking as he left the scene.
Clips shown in court on Friday showed the defendant inhaling nitrous oxide gas from a yellow balloon as he was driving, both before and after the collision.
Father-of-two Byrne admitted causing death by dangerous driving and a number of other offences at a previous hearing.
He was due to be sentenced on Friday but, after hearing about his 'astonishing and appalling' driving record, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC ordered a report prepared by probation officers.
Ms Marshall told the judge that Byrne had a range of convictions for 27 offences, including dangerous driving, despite having no driving licence.
Rebecca Stephens, defending, told the court her client drove off because he believed he had only hit another vehicle with his wing mirror.
Judge Richardson responded to this claim, saying: 'This shows how completely inebriated he was.'
Ms Stephens told the court that her client had written a letter expressing his remorse for what he had done.
She said Byrne had lost two brothers in traumatic circumstances: one in a car accident when he was 11; and the other being stabbed to death when he was 17.
Judge Richardson said he also accepted the defendant had a 'very deprived background in every conceivable way'.
In a statement read to the judge on Friday, Mr Slinn's wife, Jaqueline, described how she and her husband had been due to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this year.
Mrs Slinn explained how the couple met through a love of cycling and her husband had a life-long love of riding his bike, which he did multiple times a week, despite his age.
She said Mr Slinn worked as a scaffolder until he had to retire early following a heart attack, but he then helped care for adults with learning disabilities.
He was also a keen singer who would perform in pubs and clubs in Sheffield.
Mrs Slinn said: '60 years of marriage, almost, wiped out by the defendant.'
Judge Richardson remanded Byrne in custody, saying: 'This young man is utterly, utterly out of control.'
Telling the defendant he will now be sentenced on July 21, he said: 'For nearly 60 years Mr and Mrs Slinn lived thoroughly decent lives.
'I have heard quite a lot about Mr Slinn today and he seemed to have been a very good man.'
Judge Richardson told Byrne: 'They were going to celebrate in the very near future their diamond wedding anniversary.
'That will not happen, and the reason that will not happen is because you drove a motor car when had no driving licence and had a truly astonishing and appalling driving record for someone aged 20 years.
'You drove that car with cloned licence plates at great speed, well in excess of the speed limit, on a dual carriageway, straight through a red light. And, you hit Mr Slinn as he was perfectly lawfully crossing the road.'
The judge described how Bryne drove off with him and two others in the car with him inhaling nirous oxide.
He said that, after killing Mr Slinn, he went about his business 'as if you did not have a care in the world'.
Judge Richardson said: 'You come from a disordered family. You have led a disordered life. You were, at the material time, completely out of control.'
He told him: 'You are facing a very, very long time in custody, this case demands that. This is about as bad as it gets'.
After his death in April, Mr Slinn's family issued a statement through police which said: 'He was gentle. Funny. Kind to his core. And now he's gone. He and my mum were about to celebrate 60 years of marriage.
'Now she faces silence, heartbreak, and a future without the man who made her laugh every day.'