On 19/01/2024 05:11 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

A MOTORIST whose dangerous driving after taking illegally obtained pills caused a fatal crash on the A689 has been jailed for eight and a half years.

The horrific crash caused by 47-year-old Paul Murray has had a devastating effect on the family of the 22-year-old victim, Joshua Robertson, who was a front seat passenger in a transit van, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The defendant's BMW collided head on with the van on the A689 near Brampton, leaving Mr Robertson with catastrophic injuries. Despite him receiving immediate treatment from medical staff who were in a passing ambulance, he died at the scene.

Murray, of Carrick's Yard, Brampton admitted causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard how Murray was driving a blue BMW on the evening of Friday, October 8 2021 when his vehicle collided head-on with a white Ford Transit van in which Mr Robertson was a passenger, returning from a day at work.

A roadside drug test was conducted on both drivers immediately following the collision. Murray failed the drugs wipe and officers then located a box of diazepam tablets concealed in his boxer shorts.

Subsequent blood samples showed Murray was almost twice the legal limit permitted for driving for the drug diazepam.

Following the collision, numerous witnesses to Murray’s driving on the evening of the incident came forward, including those who saw the BMW cross over into the wrong side of the carriageway, directly into the path of the oncoming Transit van.

Murray’s unsafe driving in the minutes before the collision was noticed by numerous witnesses, with several later contacting the police.

One told officers that he suspected the BMW must be drunk behind the wheel, another that he was “swerving in the road” and that his driving was “erratic and dangerous”.

Another described Murray’s driving as “the worst I have ever witnessed first-hand”.

Murray initially claimed the crash was caused by a "momentary lapse of attention" as he attempted to retune his car radio.

A forensic collision investigation report concluded that the most likely cause of the collision was that Murray was intoxicated, which impaired his ability to drive. As well as the prison sentence, Murray was banned from driving for 100 months.

Police Constable Claire Whatman of Cumbria Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This was a terrible and entirely avoidable tragedy which cost a young man his life.

“The investigation into the collision showed beyond doubt that responsibility for the collision lay entirely with Paul Murray, who chose to get behind the wheel whilst intoxicated, and then drove in a dangerous and erratic manner which resulted in

the fatal collision that October evening.”

In December alone, Cumbria Police arrested 70 drivers on suspicion of drug driving, with a further 56 drivers arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

PC Whatman said: “Driving whilst intoxicated – whether by drink or drugs – is inexcusable, and this case clearly shows the devastating consequences it can have.

“Anyone who suspects there is a possibility they are under the influence of drugs should not contemplate getting behind the wheel.

"I would like to thank all those who provided information to assist the investigation, and extend my deepest condolences on behalf of Cumbria Constabulary to Joshua Robertson’s family, friends, and loved ones.”

* A full report on the case will appear on this website tomorrow.

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/24062194.driver-jailed-fatal-crash-caused-taking-illegal-pills/

How did the chav-bike get involved?

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