The family of a cyclist killed by a drunk paramedic revealed police had to use DNA from his toothbrush to confirm his identity.
Richard Goodwin was killed when off-duty paramedic Robert Woodruff ploughed into him after downing 10 pints in a pub crawl. Woodruff, 36, was speeding towards the house of a female colleague he had developed a bizarre obsession with when he hit Mr Goodwin on June 26 last year.
Woodruff had bombarded the woman with phone calls in the minutes before he ploughed into the dad-of-five on the A1033 between Withernsea and Ottringham. HullLive reported the children of Mr Goodwin, 56, a property developer and former bank manager, have paid an emotional tribute to their dad.
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But the children also criticised the five year and four month sentence handed to Woodruff at Hull Crown Court last week, that will see him free from prison in just over two years. Mr Goodwin's son Sam said his dad died on a road all the children use and know well near the family home in Winestead.
Witnesses had seen Woodruff driving at speeds of up to 80mph moments before the accident. The married dad-of-two had been reputedly calling the woman, who was not taking his calls, and moments before hitting Mr Goodwin, had reached down to call again. He swerved into the path of Mr Goodwin as he cycled the short distance home from a friend’s barbecue.
Sam said: “(Our dad) was just obliviously cycling home and then before you knew it, this guy had checked his phone, swerved onto the wrong side of the road, and gone straight through dad.
“He carried him 100m down the road with him on the car. It was dental records and DNA results from his toothbrush, that’s how they had to identify our dad. We’ve just been robbed. Absolutely robbed. Our dad was our world. And it’s just gone.”
Speaking to BBC Look North, daughter Emily Godwin said the family had been shattered by their beloved dad’s death. She is devastated that her dad won't be able to walk her down the aisle. She said: “My hero has gone. I’m getting married next year, without my dad. His (Woodruff’s) children will still get that from him. He gets to do that. He gets to see his family, his grandchildren. It was our dad who deserved it. He just won’t get to do it. My dad was an amazing guy. It just doesn’t seem fair.”
Mr Goodwin's three sons and two daughters believe Woodruff should have been jailed for longer. They were also appalled by his "casual and disinterested" demeanour in court as he was being sentenced. Under existing sentencing guidelines, anyone charged with causing death by dangerous driving can expect a sentence of eight to 14 years in custody.
The judge in Woodruff’s case had to follow rules giving him automatic discounts for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity and having no previous convictions. He was also given credit for his work as a paramedic for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
Son Joe Goodwin said the family were shocked Woodruff had only received a sentence of just over five years. New sentencing guidelines have come into place since their dad’s death which can see killer drivers jailed for life. But it was too late for the Woodruff case.
Joe said: “We are fully aware what the sentencing guidelines are and it's just we don't feel it's enough for a life. That's what it boils down to. The sentencing - you've got a spectrum of eight to 14 years - and the judge went with the minimum of what should have been in our opinion longer.
“We’re just powerless to do anything. You think you’re going to get some sort of justice. It’s just an injustice."
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