Drug driver jailed for killing man as he crossed road
A truck driver who killed an 84-year-old pedestrian as he crossed the road has been jailed for six and a half years. Edward Feelie, who had taken cocaine, failed to stop at a red light while driving his flatbed Isuzu and went on to hit Robert Shirra-Gibb in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.Mr Shirra-Gibb did not recover from the collision, which happened just days before Christmas in 2023.Feelie had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
The 54-year-old was sentenced by Lord Arthurson at a hearing in Inverness.
The hearing was told that in a background psychological report it emerged Feelie admitted to taking "large quantities" of cocaine, initially at weekends then daily, for the past 10 years.He was also a regular cannabis user.Lord Arthurson told Feelie that he was guilty of a "shocking crime" and was said to have been "struggling to show empathy" for his victim.The judge said: "You took cocaine and then drove your lorry without a second thought for the catastrophic potential consequences of such conduct for other road users."Lord Arthurson also paid tribute to Mr Shirra-Gibb, who was described as "deeply loved".The judge said he would be "profoundly missed" by his family and local community.The jail-term was cut from nine and a half years due to the guilty plea.Feelie, also of Blantyre, was banned from driving for life.
Cocaine use
The incident occurred on the town's Glasgow Road at about 18:00 on 19 December 2023.Mr Shirra-Gibb made it across the eastbound carriageway but was struck by Feelie's truck when he entered the westbound carriageway.A previous court hearing was told the victim suffered "catastrophic" pelvic, chest and back injuries.He also had a bleed on the brain and died the next day.Crash investigators found the red traffic signal that night had been showing for 11 seconds before the collision.Mr Shirra-Gibb had been on the road for around seven seconds.A blood sample was taken from Feelie at a police station after the incident and it was found to contain 67mg of cocaine per litre of blood. The specified limit is 10mg.
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