Laughing gas driver who killed frail woman is jailed
Washe Manyatelo, 24, struck Annette Dixon, 70, in August 2023 while she was crossing the road with her walking frame in Edinburgh.
Mayatelo had been at a party the night before, had not slept and told friends he "felt fine to drive". He admitted causing her death by dangerous driving.
Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lady Ross said: "That arrogant self-assessment of your condition was woefully wrong."
She added: "This was a lady in her later years who was much loved by her family.
"They were close to her and that she is missed terribly."
Lady Ross also pointed out the car was borrowed and had dangerous defects that meant it would have failed an MOT test.
More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East
More stories from Scotland
The court heard Manyatelo was driving at excessive speed in a 20mph zone on Stevenson Drive near Saughton Park after inhaling nitrous oxide.
He had driven onto the opposing carriageway, mounted a pavement and grass verge, then went back onto the road when he struck Mrs Dixon, who had just exited a bus.
Manyatelo fell asleep in a police car following the incident and refused to provide a blood sample for testing, claiming that it was against his religion.
Prosecutor John Keenan KC said: "He did not swerve, break or take any other action to avoid striking Mrs Dixon. The speed on impact was between 26 and 35 mph.
"The impact caused her to be projected around 4.5 metres further up the westbound lane."
Manyatelo did not slow down or stop after the collision, but drove on before returning to the crash scene.
Members of the public, including an off duty nurse, went to Mrs Dixon's aid.
She was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but died from her injuries.
Manyatelo gave negative tests for alcohol, cannabis and cocaine. But officers who were dealing with him noticed that he appeared drowsy and sometimes looked at them with a glazed expression.
He agreed to be examined by a doctor who expressed the opinion that he was impaired and that his condition may be due to drug consumption.
Officers found four deflated balloons in his car along with a nitrous oxide canister.
Defence advocate Iain McSporran KC told judge Lady Ross that his client was sorry for his actions.
He said Mayatelo was an "extremely immature" man who had came to appreciate the seriousness off his actions.
Lady Ross also banned Manyatelo from driving for eight years and 10 months.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Noel Clarke set to learn outcome of libel claim against Guardian publisher
Actor Noel Clarke is set to discover whether he has been successful in his High Court libel claim against the publisher of the Guardian on Friday. Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct. Clarke denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest. A trial earlier this year heard from multiple witnesses who made accusations against Clarke, including that he had allegedly shared nude photographs of them without their consent, groped them, and asked them to look at him when he was exposed. Barristers for Clarke told the court that there is a conspiracy of people with financial and personal grudges against him who engineered his downfall because they could not bear to see him receive a Bafta award. Mrs Justice Steyn is set to hand down her ruling at 10.30am on Friday. The trial of the libel claim was held from early March to early April at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Clarke, who has previously appeared in TV shows including Doctor Who, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Bulletproof, gave evidence over several days. At one stage, he appeared visibly emotional as he claimed the publisher had 'smashed my life'. He said: 'They have smashed my life for four years with this rubbish, this nonsense. Four years.' He continued: 'I did not do this, I would not do this. I have got children. This is not true.' He later said that while he was 'a flawed guy', he added: 'The reason I stand here four years later is I am not what they have branded me.' Philip Williams, representing the actor, said that his client was a 'casualty' of a media 'purge' following the emergence of the MeToo movement. He continued that Clarke was made a 'scapegoat' and was an 'easy target' because he was at the height of his success when the media industry 'zealously sought to correct itself'. The barrister also criticised the Guardian's investigation, saying the newspaper 'manifestly failed to do its job properly'.Mr Williams asked the court to find the claim successful, saying the Guardian's reporting has caused serious harm to Clarke's career, with 'continuing hostile reactions online and in public discourse'. Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said there is 'not a shred of evidence' to support Clarke's claim of a conspiracy, describing it as 'nonsensical and rather desperate speculation'. He said Clarke has a 'very clear motive to lie' because he 'stands to lose a great deal'. In written submissions, Mr Millar said Clarke 'used his power to prey on and harass female colleagues' over a period of 15 years. He said: 'This was a careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously by Guardian journalists who were aware of the potential pitfalls. 'They received information from a wide range of sources with direct evidence of misconduct and in each case carefully considered and tested the information they were given, electing to publish only such information as they believed was credible.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested in terrifying dawn raid after sharing Facebook posts backing Palestine Action
A man who shared posts on his Facebook page backing Palestine Action has told how he was hauled from his bed by police and arrested on suspicion of breaking terror laws in a terrifying dawn raid. Mat Cobb, 52, a part-time cleaner, is now facing potentially life-changing criminal charges after becoming the latest member of the public to fall foul of the controversial decision to ban the direct-action group. He told The Independent the arrest at his home in Hinckley, Leicestershire, had 'totally blown my mind' after he was handcuffed and taken to a police station on Wednesday morning. Mr Cobb, who has 2,200 followers on his Facebook page, said he had never attended a demonstration or been a member of Palestine Action – now a proscribed terrorist organisation. His arrest comes after more than 500 peaceful protesters were arrested at a demonstration in Parliament Square earlier this month for holding placards supporting the group. Shami Chakrabarti, a former shadow attorney general and civil liberties campaigner, said Mr Cobb's arrest jeopardised public trust in policing and demonstrated the danger of the ongoing ban, which means showing support for the group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has won permission to challenge the law in the High Court. The Labour peer added: 'Dawn bedroom raids [like this] highlight the dangers of the ongoing proscription of Palestinian Action. Public trust and policing by consent are in jeopardy while we wait for higher courts to rule on the legality of the ban. Whatever advice informed the original proscription, the Home Secretary would be wise urgently to review it in the light of subsequent events.' She previously warned that the ban risked becoming a 'mistake of poll tax proportions' – a reference to Margaret Thatcher's unpopular policy that triggered civil disobedience and riots. Mr Cobb said two police officers had attended his address a week earlier, but he was away on holiday. They told his housemate there was nothing to worry about. He was still in bed when they returned at 7am on Wednesday. When his housemate answered the door, he said, they barged inside and burst into his bedroom, where he was arrested and handcuffed. Officers also seized his mobile phone. 'I heard my housemate answer the door, then some shouting, then running up the stairs and my housemate shouting 'I'm sorry, Mat', then they came in my room and told me I was under arrest and to put my hands where they can see them. Then they put me in handcuffs.' He was taken to a police station in Leicester where he was put in a holding cell before he was searched, photographed, swabbed for DNA and had his fingerprints taken. In a police interview, officers, who showed Mr Cobb a series of Facebook posts, said he was under investigation for supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. He was released under investigation at around 1pm, after almost six hours in custody. Mr Cobb described the decision to ban the group as a 'terrifying development', which he hopes will be overturned when Palestine Action founder Huda Ammori brings a judicial review this autumn. 'This is a matter of human rights – not just the right to free speech but the rights of Palestinians as they are being murdered,' he said. 'For the government to respond to this protest by banning the group that's protesting is a terrifying development.' He told The Independent: 'If they are going to proscribe non-violent people for protesting against mass murder, they are tyrants.' The Home Secretary has continued to defend proscribing the direct-action group, repeating claims that an assessment found evidence of 'ideas for further attacks' which cannot be reported due to ongoing legal proceedings. 'Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear – this is not a non-violent organisation,' said Yvette Cooper. 'UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority.' A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: 'On Wednesday 20 August, police in Leicestershire made a pre-planned arrest in Hinckley as part of an ongoing investigation. A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of support for a proscribed organisation, under section 12 (1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000. He has been released under investigation while police continue to carry out enquiries.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Noel Clarke set to learn outcome of libel claim against Guardian publisher
Actor Noel Clarke is set to discover whether he has been successful in his High Court libel claim against the publisher of the Guardian on Friday. Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct. Clarke denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest. A trial earlier this year heard from multiple witnesses who made accusations against Clarke, including that he had allegedly shared nude photographs of them without their consent, groped them, and asked them to look at him when he was exposed. Barristers for Clarke told the court that there is a conspiracy of people with financial and personal grudges against him who engineered his downfall because they could not bear to see him receive a Bafta award. Mrs Justice Steyn is set to hand down her ruling at 10.30am on Friday. The trial of the libel claim was held from early March to early April at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Clarke, who has previously appeared in TV shows including Doctor Who, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Bulletproof, gave evidence over several days. At one stage, he appeared visibly emotional as he claimed the publisher had 'smashed my life'. He said: 'They have smashed my life for four years with this rubbish, this nonsense. Four years.' He continued: 'I did not do this, I would not do this. I have got children. This is not true.' He later said that while he was 'a flawed guy', he added: 'The reason I stand here four years later is I am not what they have branded me.' Philip Williams, representing the actor, said that his client was a 'casualty' of a media 'purge' following the emergence of the MeToo movement. He continued that Clarke was made a 'scapegoat' and was an 'easy target' because he was at the height of his success when the media industry 'zealously sought to correct itself'. The barrister also criticised the Guardian's investigation, saying the newspaper 'manifestly failed to do its job properly'.Mr Williams asked the court to find the claim successful, saying the Guardian's reporting has caused serious harm to Clarke's career, with 'continuing hostile reactions online and in public discourse'. Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said there is 'not a shred of evidence' to support Clarke's claim of a conspiracy, describing it as 'nonsensical and rather desperate speculation'. He said Clarke has a 'very clear motive to lie' because he 'stands to lose a great deal'. In written submissions, Mr Millar said Clarke 'used his power to prey on and harass female colleagues' over a period of 15 years. He said: 'This was a careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously by Guardian journalists who were aware of the potential pitfalls. 'They received information from a wide range of sources with direct evidence of misconduct and in each case carefully considered and tested the information they were given, electing to publish only such information as they believed was credible.'
