A drunk driver who ran a red light topping speeds of 80mph, has been jailed for 9 years after he sadly killed 2 people.
27 year old Ryan Howard, from Liverpool, was double the drink driving limit when he crashed his BMW into a taxi in late February last year.
The 51 year old taxi driver David Sherwin, had been taking mother-of-two Michelle Jennings, 35, to work at Greggs.
Kirsty, Mr Sherwins daughter, told Liverpool Crown Court that because of Howard’s “recklessness my dad will never be there to walk me down the aisle”.B
The light had reportedly been red for a good 16 seconds, but Howard “gambled” and drove through it anyways.
Judge Menary said: “Rather than slow down and stop yourself, you pulled over into the offside lane and accelerated through those red lights. You made no effort to stop at all.”
The judge added: “You couldn’t have failed to see them. Maybe you were gambling on them turning to green before you got to the junction.
“If so, two people paid the price when you lost that bet.”
Howard’s initial story is that he passed through an amber light and didn’t see the taxi, he also claims he doesn’t actually remember driving the car that night. Despite this, his DNA was found on the drivers airbag and he plead guilty to two counts of death by dangerous driving.
Howard’s defence lawyer said he showed “profound remorse and regret” for his actions.
He has also been disqualified from driving for nine years and been ordered to take an extended test before being allowed to drive again.
