A drunk paramedic who was obsessed with a female colleague was so determined to go to a barbecue at her house he grabbed his dad's 4x4 keys and sped there at 80mph - before veering onto the other side of the road while reaching for his phone and crashing into a cyclist, causing fatal injuries.
Robert Woodruff had drunk 10pints of Guinness in a pub crawl before jumping into the car and making repeated calls in a bid to get hold of the colleague he was obsessessed with - to tell her he was coming to her party whether he was invited or not. Married Woodruff, 36, swerved along the country road and tailgated a car so slsely the driver in front could not see the registration plate.
Dad-of-five Richard Goodwin was cycling on the same road heading home, reports HullLive.
Robert Woodruff was a paramedic with Yorkshire Ambulance Service when he killed cyclist Richard Goodwin near Ottringham, East Yorkshire in June 2021
Moments later Woodruff, apparently reaching down for his phone to again make another call, veered onto the opposite side of the road. There was no correction or braking before he hit Mr Goodwin, who was wearing a cycling helmet. Mr Goodwin was thrown onto the bonnet, suffering fatal injuries.
The Nissan 4x4 left the road, continued 100 metres over a grass verge, became airborne over a culvert and careered along undergrowth and a verge, across a cycle path before crashing to rest in the front yard of a cottage. Mr Goodwin’s body was found in the undergrowth.
Richard Goodwin leaves behind his five children (Image: Humberside Police)
Woodruff stumbled from the wrecked Nissan with blood coming from a head wound. He was dazed and confused and stinking of alcohol. "I f***ed up. I have proper f***ed up this time, “ he told one of the first witnesses at the scene. “I am in a proper mess. I was reaching down to check my phone. I was driving to see my girlfriend. I swerved."
The paramedic was not his girlfriend, and never had been. When he appeared to be sentenced, Judge Mark Bury heard Woodruff "held a candle or a flame" for the female paramedic but it was "not requited".
Paramedic Robert Woodruff in his police mugshot after the crash
Woodruff managed to get a job as a delivery driver before his case came to court. He had boasted about “doubling his wages” while still on full pay from the ambulance service, despite being suspended. Woodruff used his extra cash to enjoy lads holidays abroad.
A former lifeguard and sports management graduate, he was a dad of two young children and had been a paramedic for Yorkshire Ambulance Service since 2014. His much-praised record included saving a young child's life.
But the court was told after being attacked in Hull city centre in 2019, he had started drinking heavily, slipping into depression and blacker moods. His mental health became a concern after the attack and he received professional care and medical assistance. This put a strain on his marriage and triggered the obsession with the female colleague who he had worked with during his ambulance duties.
But after the accident the stark differences between Woodruff and his victim and his family were clear. Despite the horror he had caused, Woodruff would tell police after the crash: "I felt like I was in control. I didn't think I was doing anything dangerous. I wasn't doing anything dangerous on that road, in my opinion."
Much-loved father-of-five Richard Goodwin, a property developer and former bank manager, pictured with his family. (Image: Goodwin family)
He admitted causing Mr Goodwin's death by dangerous driving and was jailed for five years and four months.
Among the heart-breaking statements from Mr Goodwin's family was this from youngest son Oliver Goodwin, 19, a college student. "I lie awake thinking of what it must have been like for my Dad. I have dreams that he is still alive. I still send him text messages, knowing that he will never reply."
