'Coward' killed 'loving grandfather' in crash and then fled the scene

Yahoo

6 days ago

A Derbyshire man is now behind bars after killing an innocent cyclist earlier this year, with police labelling his acts as "dangerous, selfish and cowardly". Cain Byrne, 20, of Redvers Buller Road, Chesterfield, was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison on Monday, July 21, after the death of 81-year-old Graham Slinn earlier this year.
Mr Slinn was a loving husband, father, grandfather and a 'community spirit', according to South Yorkshire Police, adding that Byrne's conviction is a result of a joint investigation between the Serious Collisions Unit (SCU) and the Major Crime Unit, due to the "level of criminality" involved. During Byrne's hearing, the court was told how, on April 4, Byrne was driving a VW Golf and collided with Graham on the A57 near Todwick.
Following the collision, Byrne fled the scene and left members of the public to help Mr Slinn. Despite everyone's best efforts, Graham was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Senior Officer in the case, Chief Inspector Tom Woodward, said: 'Through good, investigative work at the scene in the immediacy after the collision, the SCU identified that the car involved in the collision was on a false registration plate," he said.
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'We were able to show that Byrne had connections to the car, and he was quickly arrested, but we needed the car. We spent hours trawling footage to piece together the car's movements, while others were working hard to find the car, which was later found burned out in the Derbyshire area.
'A breakthrough in the investigation came when officers tracked the car from the scene of the collision to an address several miles away, as well as locations in between. Our aim was to ensure he could never harm anyone in our communities again.'
Byrne was arrested on April 12 in Derbyshire and brought back to South Yorkshire custody, where detectives questioned him in multiple interviews. He answered 'no comment' throughout and even when Graham's family tribute was read aloud to him, police say his "coldness" continued.
What was clear throughout their enquiries was Byrne's "lack of care for anyone", a spokesperson for the force added. He was a disqualified driver, driving without a licence, without insurance and using a false, cloned number plate on the car. He was also seen on CCTV inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons, even immediately after killing Mr Slinn.
Byrne pleaded guilty at a hearing in May before receiving his sentence on Monday. CI Woodward continued: 'Our thoughts remain with Graham's family and friends, and I hope today's sentencing brings them some further closure knowing Byrne will now face a lengthy time in prison.
'We know those involved in criminality are likely to take greater risks and Byrne's behaviour is a true reflection of this and why the work of our roads policing officers is greatly important. We are continuing to work hard to reduce casualties on the roads of South Yorkshire through education, prevention and deterring criminals from the use of our road network.
'I would also like to thank the public for your support during what was a challenging investigation. We are stronger with our communities' help, and it does not go unnoticed.' In addition to Byrne's 16-and-a-half-year sentence, he was further banned from driving for 17 years and eight months.