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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Mark Naylor & Charlie Duffield

Paramedic downed 10 pints of Guinness before killing 'doting dad' in horror crash

A paramedic who drank 10 pints of Guinness before mowing into a cyclist at 60mph en route to a house party has been jailed for causing his death.

Ignoring his wife's pleas to drive to the booze-fuelled bash seven miles away, 36-year-old Robert Woodruff, who was off-duty at the time, was at least twice the drink-drive limit.

His Nissan Juke smashed into 56-year-old cyclist Richard Goodwin, whilst he was cycling home along the A1033 in East Yorkshire, killing him immediately, Hull Live reports.

Woodruff was jailed at Hull Crown Court for five years and four months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard Mr Goodwin was dressed appropriately and clearly visible as he cycled home from a friend's barbecue on June 26 last year.

Much-loved father-of-five Richard Goodwin, a property developer and former bank manager, pictured with his family (MEN MEDIA/HULL LIVE)

Woodruff was seen driving dangerously close to the car ahead of him, leaving only an estimated half a second gap between the two vehicles.

He tried to overtake, narrowly avoided hitting an oncoming vehicle, swerved and hit Mr Goodwin on his bicycle, killing him instantly.

Woodruff's car travelled down a verge, over a ditch and hurtled through trees and undergrowth, before stopping in the front garden of a nearby cottage, 100 metres away.

Nearly three hours later in hospital, Woodruff's blood alcohol level was still twice the drink-drive limit.

Jeremy Evans from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Words cannot adequately describe the absolute devastation and heartbreak this defendant has caused to the Goodwin family.

Woodruff downed 10 pints before getting behind the wheel (MEN MEDIA/HULL LIVE)

"Woodruff was a serving paramedic and a trained emergency response driver. His unbelievably reckless actions that day are completely beyond comprehension.

"Equally, it is hard to imagine a more complete betrayal of the values of his profession as a paramedic.

"Our hearts go out to the whole of the Goodwin family, and we hope that the sentence Woodruff is beginning today will be of some comfort to them in the months and years ahead.

"Our thoughts remain with them."

Woodruff was disqualified from driving for seven years and eight months and must pass an extended test before he can drive again.

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