Drug driver jailed for killing man as he crossed road

A truck driver who killed an 84-year-old pedestrian as he crossed the road has been jailed for six and a half years.

Edward Feelie, who had taken cocaine, failed to stop at a red light while driving his flatbed Isuzu and went on to hit Robert Shirra-Gibb in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.

Mr Shirra-Gibb did not recover from the collision, which happened just days before Christmas in 2023.

Feelie had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

The 54-year-old was sentenced by Lord Arthurson at a hearing in Inverness.

The hearing was told that in a background psychological report it emerged Feelie admitted to taking "large quantities" of cocaine, initially at weekends then daily, for the past 10 years.

He was also a regular cannabis user.

Lord Arthurson told Feelie that he was guilty of a "shocking crime" and was said to have been "struggling to show empathy" for his victim.

The judge said: "You took cocaine and then drove your lorry without a second thought for the catastrophic potential consequences of such conduct for other road users."

Lord Arthurson also paid tribute to Mr Shirra-Gibb, who was described as "deeply loved".

The judge said he would be "profoundly missed" by his family and local community.

The jail-term was cut from nine and a half years due to the guilty plea.

Feelie, also of Blantyre, was banned from driving for life.

The incident occurred on the town's Glasgow Road at about 18:00 on 19 December 2023.

Mr Shirra-Gibb made it across the eastbound carriageway but was struck by Feelie's truck when he entered the westbound carriageway.

A previous court hearing was told the victim suffered "catastrophic" pelvic, chest and back injuries.

He also had a bleed on the brain and died the next day.

Crash investigators found the red traffic signal that night had been showing for 11 seconds before the collision.

Mr Shirra-Gibb had been on the road for around seven seconds.

A blood sample was taken from Feelie at a police station after the incident and it was found to contain 67mg of cocaine per litre of blood. The specified limit is 10mg.