It was a collision waiting to happen, jurors at the trial of Andrew Cairns - a dangerous driver who killed a ‘kind and caring’ school girl in a fatal collision - were told.
The court heard that if Cairns had been following the speed limit then Ruby Cropper, 11, from Radcliffe, would still ‘in all probability’ be alive today.
Ruby’s heartbroken family listened in shock and horror from the back of the courtroom throughout the course of a five-day trial as jurors heard countless pieces of evidence into Cairns’ driving in the moments prior to the collision.
Ruby had been enjoying a sunny day in the school holidays on the way to the park with a friend when, on August 10, 2020, she was hit by a Suzuki Alto vehicle on New Road in Radcliffe.
The car was being driven by Andrew Cairns, 36, of Rupert Street, Radcliffe, who was on the way home from work in Whitefield and had been driving ‘in excess speed’ at the time.
But instead of staying at the scene to check if Ruby was okay, Cairns fled.
He later abandoned his car and walked home. Soon after, he rang police to say he had hit a young girl with his car.
Cairns told jurors he had fled the scene in an act of ‘panic’.
Ruby was rushed to hospital, but died two days later from her injuries.
In the moments prior to the collision, Cairns had been described by other passengers as ‘shooting around the bend’ and driving at ‘super speed’.
Jurors heard how Cairns’ Suzuki Alto overtook a Fiat 500 on the wrong side of Higher Lane into incoming traffic before swerving back.
John McCann, who was driving the overtaken vehicle, told the court: “He was going a lot faster than me, maybe between 30-40mph.”
He explained how he saw Cairns do a ‘Chicane-type manoeuvre’, involving a sharp left turn back into the correct lane.
Mr McCann added: "I just said to myself, 'F***ing hell. What a looney’.
“I thought it was just a crazy thing to do, a crazy manoeuvre.”
Mr McCann also reported seeing Cairns driving with one hand on the steering wheel - the other resting on the window frame.
It was a driving style, Cairns said, adopted ‘out of habit’ due to driving an automatic vehicle.
In police interviews, Cairns admitted to driving ‘in excess speed’ of around 40 mph at the time but denied acting dangerously or in a rush.
He told police he had seen Ruby about 50 yards before the collision and suggested she had walked out in front of him.
Despite multiple claims to police he ‘slammed on the brakes‘ following the collision, Cairns later told the court he did not brake.
When asked why he previously mentioned he braked, he told the court he had ‘no answer’.
Evidence taken eight metres after the collision was ‘consistent with no braking’.
The court was told that had Cairns braked, he was likely to have been travelling at 44 miles per hour.
Had he drove at a constant speed, he would have been driving at 38 miles per hour.
The area was restricted to a 30 mph speed limit.
Prosecutor Jamie Baxter told jurors: “If he was travelling at the speed limit then the experts agree, in all probability, the collision could have been avoided.”
He added: "This was a collision waiting to happen.”
Cairns had previously admitted causing Ruby’s death by careless driving, but denied causing her death by dangerous driving.
A jury of 12 - made up of five women and seven men - came back with an unanimous guilty verdict of dangerous driving.
Cairns showed no reaction to the verdict, while Ruby’s family cheered and hugged each other as the verdict was read out.
Having attended all five days of the trial, it had been a grueling and emotional experience for them.
In a statement issued after Ruby’s death, the family said they had been left "devastated" by her loss.
"Ruby was such a kind and caring person and always helped others. She has continued to do this in organ donation," they said in a statement.
"Ruby's legacy will live on and we have taken great comfort in this.
"Our family would urge anyone in these tragic circumstances to follow in Ruby's footsteps and be an organ donor.
“We are all absolutely devastated and a part of us has died today too. Our lives will never be the same again."
Anthony Stanway, a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said the verdict highlighted the ‘devastating consequences’ of ignoring speed limits and road rules.
Mr Stanway said: “Andrew Cairns tried to play down his culpability on this tragic case by offering a guilty plea to causing death by careless driving.
“However we presented evidence to the court including CCTV and independent witness accounts proving that his actions were not simply momentary lapses of care or attention.
“He in fact partook in a deliberate course of conduct by ignoring the speed limits of the roads, and whilst driving at excess speed for a significant period of time he overtook several other vehicles.
“By doing so, he failed to take proper consideration for other road users, in this case a vulnerable young pedestrian.
“This case underlines the devastating consequences of engaging in this type of driving.
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Ruby Cropper and all those who have been affected by this tragedy.”
Cairns will be sentenced on February 10.
