An off-duty paramedic had drunk 10 pints of Guinness and been checking his mobile phone before he killed in cyclist in a 'devastating' crash. Heavy-drinking Robert Woodruff, had been desperate to get to a barbecue that was taking place at the home of a female paramedic about seven miles away but he had not even been invited to, Hull Crown Court heard.
Father-of-five Richard Goodwin, a property developer and former bank manager, suffered horrific injuries in the collision and died almost immediately at the scene, Hull Daily Mail reports. His family have suffered "unbearable pain and grief" following the incident, the court heard.
Woodruff, 36, of Bannister Street, Withernsea, admitted causing the death of Mr Goodwin by dangerous driving on June 26 last year. Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said that Mr Goodwin, 56, of Winestead, near Patrington, Holderness, was cycling on the A1033 at Ottringham.
Woodruff had been drinking at the Butterfly Inn pub, the Spread Eagle and the Pier Hotel, Withernsea, in the afternoon before going home. He had unsuccessfully tried to get a taxi and ignored the pleas of his wife not to drive, evading her attempts to stop him.
He walked around the corner to where their red Nissan Juke SUV was parked, and drove away at about 8.45pm. Mr Goodwin was cycling in the opposite direction shortly before Woodruff tailgated another car at about 80mph heading from Patringham to Ottringham. Woodruff was, according to a witness, driving like an "idiot" before gradually creeping onto the wrong side of the road and hitting the cyclist, seemingly without braking.
There was a "loud bang" and Mr Goodwin was carried on the windscreen for about 70 metres. The Nissan continued onto a verge, became airborne, cleared a water culvert and careered along undergrowth and across a cycle path before ending up in the front garden of a nearby cottage. The body of Mr Goodwin was discovered in undergrowth.
"It was clear to those present and the police that there was no sign of life," said Mr Evans. Mr Goodwin died at the scene from multiple injuries.
Woodruff was dazed and confused and smelled strongly of alcohol. He said: "I f****d up. I have proper f****d up this time. I am in a proper mess. I was reaching down to check my phone. I was driving to see my girlfriend. I swerved."
A roadside breath test revealed that he had 77mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg. A blood test two hours and 40 minutes later showed 172mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80mg.
He said: "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."
He had been a paramedic since 2014 and had driven ambulances without problems, including being an advanced driver and a blue-light driver, with an "impeccable record". Even since the fatal crash, when he was suspended as a paramedic, Woodruff had later worked as a delivery driver.
The children of Mr Goodwin had suffered "unbearable pain and grief" including nightmares and difficulty sleeping, said Mr Evans. Youngest son Oliver Goodwin, 19, a college student, said: "These past months have been the hardest months I have ever had to experience." His father was his "best friend" who never failed to make him laugh and feel safe.
"My Dad loved me and all my siblings," he said. "It has affected me in so many different ways. 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."
Eldest son Samuel Goodwin said that his father was an "ever-present force for good" but he had now been "reduced to nothing but a memory". He had nothing but fond memories of him and had the sorrow of the thought that he would never be able to speak to him again. "My life has been irrevocably changed," he said. It had been replaced by "numbness and pain" caused by the "selfish actions" of Woodruff.
The death of Mr Goodwin had been horrific and traumatic and the family wondered what his final thoughts were and hoped that his suffering was over quickly. They were consumed by rage bubbling beneath the surface, anger and pain.
"My Dad was the heart and soul of my family, someone we could all rely on," said Samuel. "Five children that loved him and never got a chance to say goodbye. We are going to have to carry these emotional scars for the rest of our lives."
Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that Woodruff admitted making "unforgivable mistakes" and apologised for destroying families by his "idiocy" and its "devastating" and "catastrophic" results. "I can never make amends for what I have done," he said. "My life and many other lives are never going to be the same."
It would stay with him for the rest of his life. "I have lost my dream job," said Woodruff. He used to hold his head up in his home town but now he did not. "I apologise for these shameful actions," he said. "I have taken full responsibility for what I have done." He hoped that what he had done would be an "eye-opener" for other drivers. Woodruff himself was injured in the accident.
Miss Baines said that Woodruff had not minimised what he had done. "He can never fully atone for his selfish and foolish actions that have had devastating consequences," she said. "He has caused damage that he knows can never be repaired. He had a monumental lapse of judgement, to say the least. This offending is wholly and utterly out of this defendant's character.
"Up until June 26 last year, he was dedicated to the vocation of saving lives, not taking or destroying them. The public he once served, he has very gravely let down." In one incident, Woodruff had saved a young child's life. He had no previous convictions.
Woodruff gained a sports management degree and later became a lifeguard and a paramedic. He had been married before getting divorced, had two daughters, aged nine and seven, and was "highly regarded and well thought-of" by those who knew him.
Richard Goodwin tragically died when a driver veered on to the wrong side of the Judge Mark Bury said of Mr Goodwin: "He had achieved a great deal in his life, both professionally and domestically. He would have continued to excel at whatever he turned his life to, had he lived." He was "truly" a family man who had "devotion and love" for them.
"Richard's death has left a great void in the lives of his family and that will never be filled," said Judge Bury. "They have suffered greatly in the aftermath of their father's death. Their grief is unimaginable and long-standing. We can't turn the clock back. No sentence I impose will restore Richard Goodwin to his life, nor will it assuage the immense grief of his nearest and dearest." Judge Bury told Woodruff that he would, one day, have the "luxury denied to Richard" of making something of his life once again after he was freed from his sentence.
"I believe you will always carry the guilt of your awful conduct," said Judge Bury. "It's a burden you deserve to bear but it's nothing to the burden borne by others.
"You veered across the road straight into the path of Richard Goodwin, who was a competent cyclist. He was correctly positioned on the road and correctly attired. You didn't even see him. The effects of that collision were catastrophic in their brutality.
"As far as you are concerned, this is a disaster. Apart from this, you are a good person. You have dedicated yourself to saving lives, not wrecking them."
Woodruff was jailed for five years and four months. He was banned from driving for seven years and eight months and will have to pass an extended retest before he can drive again. He showed no emotion as he was led out of the dock.
After the hearing, prosecutor Jeremy Evans said, in a statement for the Crown Prosecution Service: "Words cannot adequately describe the absolute devastation and heartbreak this defendant has caused to the Goodwin family. 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 will be of some comfort to them in the months and years ahead. Our thoughts remain with them."
