Driver who inhaled laughing gas before killing 81-year-old cyclist in hit-and-run detained

A driver who was inhaling nitrous oxide before and after he hit and killed an 81-year-old cyclist has been detained for more than 11 years.

Graham Slinn had dismounted and was walking across the A57 near Todwick, South Yorkshire, when he was hit by a Volkswagen Golf driven by Cain Byrne, 20, and thrown at least 15ft in the air, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Byrne, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, sped off after the collision on 4 April.

Witnesses said Byrne, who has never held a driving licence, made no attempt to stop at the crossing and was travelling well over the 50mph limit, with one estimating his speed at 80mph.

Byrne admitted causing the pensioner's death by dangerous driving at a previous hearing.

On Monday, father-of-two Byrne was sentenced to 11 years and six months' detention in a young offenders institution, with an extended licence period of five years.

He was also banned from driving for 17 years and eight months.

Dashcam footage showed his vehicle's tyres smoking as he appeared to attempt to control it.

In further video footage played in court, Byrne appeared to inhale nitrous oxide gas from a yellow balloon a number of times while driving, both before and after the crash.

Mr Slinn had helped to care for adults with learning disabilities after he retired, and was a matter of weeks away from celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Jacqueline.

In a statement read at a previous hearing, Mrs Slinn said nearly 60 years of marriage had been "wiped out" by the defendant.

After sentencing, Mr Slinn's children Nicola and Victor described him as "kind to his core" and said that their father's death was "100% avoidable".

They said the former builder had a "lifelong passion" for cycling and that he had "planned his route to stick to quiet lanes and cycle paths".

"On the day he died, he was hit at speed by a car driven by someone who just kept going, as if our dad wasn't even there, as if he was nothing," they added.

"But he was there. He was everything to us. He was our dad, our mum's husband of 60 years, a granddad to two teenage girls, and a friend to so many."

'Exceptionally dangerous'

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said inhaling nitrous oxide was "an exceptionally dangerous act while driving".

He said Mr Slinn had "died of injuries inflicted by [Byrne's] truly appalling driving".

"You are a dangerous offender and the public must be protected from your evident dangerous and ingrained criminal behaviour," he added.

The court heard the defendant had "endured a dreadful upbringing" with "very few boundaries".

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Defending Byrne, Rebecca Stephens said he drove off because he believed he had only hit another vehicle with his wing mirror.

The sentencing hearing was told Byrne had a range of convictions for 27 offences, including dangerous driving.

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