A ‘selfish’ thug stole an Audi before leading police on a high-speed pursuit which resulted in the catastrophic death of a beloved mum. Marcel Doyle, 47, stole the car from a driveway as a man was waiting to take his wife to work.
He then was caught on CCTV switching the registration plates before overtaking an unmarked police car at speed. As the car followed him down a number of streets in Royton, Oldham, they reached speeds of 80mph, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
As he was making his way down Oldham Road, Heather Smedley was at the front of a line of traffic waiting to turn right onto Otmoor Way. Doyle then turned into the junction, narrowly avoiding Mrs Smedley.
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The police car, which was one second behind Doyle, then collided with the side of Mrs Smedley’s car. She sustained multiple injuries and sadly died at the scene.
Doyle, having pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, was today (July 4) jailed for 14 years and 11 months.
The police officer involved in the collision is currently under investigation, police watchdog Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed earlier this year.
Prosecuting, Sara Haque told of a separate incident on April 4 last year, in which Doyle had been one of two masked men who stormed a house on Richmond Avenue, armed with baseball bats.
The victim was forced inside as the men smashed up the house, before he armed himself with a large knife from his fishing kit. Doyle attacked the man, hitting him ‘many times’ with the baseball bat, before the man responded by swinging the large knife at him.
Neighbours heard the fracas and called the police. Doyle was later arrested after his blood was found in the man’s house. He was charged on December 13 with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon before being released on conditional bail.
Nine days later, on the day before Christmas Eve at around 8.30am, as a man was looking for his house keys whilst waiting for his Audi A3 to warm up, he heard the sound of his car door slamming before it was reversed off his driveway at speed.
Around an hour later, Doyle was captured on CCTV changing the number plates on the Audi before driving off. He overtook an unmarked police car, which was part of GMP’s Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit, responsible for preventing the use of stolen and cloned cars.
The police car followed Doyle, and later tried to ‘box’ him in, but he drove onto a curb to escape.
Another unmarked police car, a VW Golf, took over the pursuit of Doyle as he drove up to the roundabout on Manchester Road. He was seen to travel onto the wrong side of the road and overtake other cars.
The Audi then turned onto Oldham Road and made its way up to the junction with Otmoor Way, where a number of cars were waiting to turn right. Ms Smedley, driving a Peugeot 103 was at the front of the queue.
Both the Audi and police car were travelling at 80 mph, though the road was governed by a 30mph limit.
“The police vehicle was exempt from the statutory speed limit though it must give due regard for driving and behaviour,” Ms Haque said.
“The Audi narrowly missed her [Mrs Smedley’s] vehicle as she commenced a right turn onto Otmoor Way. The Golf was one second behind the Audi, and therefore presented with the Peugeot completely across the lane as it made the right turn.”
The officer reacted ‘promptly’ and applied emergency brakes, but impacted the driver’s side of the Peugeot at 65mph. The officers, despite being injured themselves, got out of the car to assist, as did other members of the public.
Doyle ‘made good his escape’ and drove away from the scene. The Audi was recovered in a car park the following day, and contained Doyle’s fingerprints and DNA on a cigarette butt under the seat.
In a victim personal statement read to the court, Heather’s husband Damian said: “Everything has gone now and nothing is the same.
“I was watching the paramedics working and working on her, I just knew my Heather had already died. I can only describe it as awful and horrific.
“Everybody loved her to bits and she just didn’t deserve what happened to her. I wish it could have been me and I would gladly swap places.”
The court heard that Doyle had an ‘appalling record’ with 33 previous convictions for 104 offences, the majority of which were driving offences. He was also disqualified from driving at the time.
In mitigation, his barrister Hugh McKee said Doyle expressed remorse and sorrow. “He got himself on the straight and narrow for about a year before meeting a particular woman in March last year, and then quickly became addicted to heroin and cocaine and carrying on with that lifestyle,” Mr McKee said.
“In December, he had stolen the car with the intention to sell it to the first person he saw for cash, to get himself some more drugs.”
“Having brought about this tragedy by your selfish behaviour, you did not have the decency to stop or lend assistance"
Sentencing, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones said: “This appalling tragedy happened a short distance away from her home. Her husband had to endure the agony of that scene and the process of formally identifying his beloved wife.
“Having brought about this tragedy by your selfish behaviour, you did not have the decency to stop or lend assistance. Instead you drove away.
“It is impossible to overstate the extent of this family’s suffering as a result of your actions. Nothing happening here today can repair that as they must now live their lives without their cherished wife and loving mother.
“Your actions, driving as you did, led directly to this accident. You knew the police vehicle was immediately behind you and obviously the risk that presented to other road users. You persisted to save your own skin. Had you stopped, this collision would not have happened.”
Doyle, of Higher Lime Road, was jailed for 14 years and 11 months. He was also banned from driving for 15 years and seven months.
