Six years in jail for Sale Moor drunk driver who killed a pedestrian as she tried to cross Chester Road

A Sale Moor man who killed a pedestrian was over three times the alcohol limit when he was breathalysed after causing the fatal accident.

Paul Tomlinson, aged 29, of Helsby Road, was sentenced during a hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court, to six years in prison and banned from driving for eight years.

At a previous hearing, Tomlinson pleaded guilty to causing the death of Susan Smythe, 59, by dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and failing to stop and report a collision.

At around 9pm on Friday 9 September 2016, Tomlinson was driving his Volkswagen Golf along Wharfside Way, Trafford Park, when he almost collided with a vehicle waiting at a set of traffic lights.

He was also seen mounting a kerb and narrowly avoiding collisions. At 9.50pm, Tomlinson was driving along Chester Road, away from Manchester towards the M60. Shortly afterwards, Ms Smythe was crossing Chester Road at the junction with Green Street.Tomlinson was driving at high speed and swerved erratically from the left lane, through the middle lane and into the outside lane where the front side of his car collided with her.

Ms Smythe  suffered head injuries and was confirmed dead upon the paramedics’ arrival.   Tomlinson  failed to stop at the scene and, before going home, left his car at a nearby car park and wiped the steering wheel and doors with a pair of leggings.

Tomlinson was later arrested at his home address before he was breathalysed in custody and provided a recording of 137 micrograms of alcohol. The legal limit is 35 micrograms. However, it is unclear how much he had consumed before the collision.

Police Constable Anthony Pye, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Tomlinson was an enormous amount over the legal drink drive limit and was in no fit state to be behind the wheel that night.

“When he spoke with police afterwards, he was slurring his speech and unsteady on his feet. Despite repeated screams from his girlfriend to slow down, Tomlinson continued to drive erratically and was reaching speeds in excess of 60mph in 40mph zones.

“From the moment he put the keys in the ignition, he was an accident waiting to happen and narrowly avoided several collisions before he so tragically collided with Susan.

“What makes his crime even worse is the fact that he failed to stop and even attempted to cover up what he⿿d done by cleaning his finger prints off the vehicle. No sentence can bring Susan back, but today’s outcome should provide a stark reminder of the perils of driving under the influence of alcohol.

“I hope it can at least bring some closure to Susan’s family and help prevent other lives being needlessly lost on our roads.”