DRINK-DRIVER JAILED EIGHT YEARS FOR KILLING TEENAGER IN 119MPH CRASH

Kyle Patrick, aged 23, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing the death of Erin Slane, aged 19, in a crash in Perthshire on 1 September 2024. Patrick was driving at "grossly excessive speeds" when his vehicle crashed into a field near Gowrie Farm. Ms Slane died from her injuries at the scene, whilst another passenger, Keira Jones, was seriously injured. Patrick pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to another passenger.

During the journey, Ms Slane sent a message to friends stating: "I may not survive tonight. I'm scared. Kyle is steaming." Patrick's vehicle crossed on to the opposite carriageway, went down an embankment, hit a fence and rolled over several times. Patrick admitted driving whilst impaired through alcohol consumption and repeatedly travelling at "grossly excessive speeds" throughout the journey. He also admitted driving up to a taxi rank in Perth that day and offering to take people to their home addresses.

Lord Harrower, sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, stated the incident was "no mere lapse of judgment" and that Patrick had demonstrated a "prolonged and deliberate course of driving at grossly excessive speeds while impaired through alcohol". The judge noted that Ms Slane was about to start university and had her whole life ahead of her. Lord Harrower said Patrick's actions had brought "terrible devastation" to the family and that no sentence could alleviate their anguish.