Speeding driver was on cocaine and cannabis when he killed Coventry man
A man urged to stop cycling by his family and to take the bus as it would be safer was killed by a speeding driver as he crossed the road after getting off a bus.
Kerry Wester was crossing Binley Road in Coventry when he was hit by Bradley Costello's car which was doing over 50mph in a 30mph zone just moments before the fatal collision.
Costello was found to have cocaine and cannabis in his system and also had two children in his car when it struck Mr Wester.
A judge said that Costello showed "breathtaking arrogance and utter contempt for the rules of the road" and jailed him for four years and ten months after the 32-year-old finally pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving when the quantities of cannabis and a cocaine derivative were over the legal limits.
He had initially denied the charge and held that stance for over two years before eventually changing his plea.
Costello, of Coombe Avenue, Binley, was also banned from driving for seven years and five months.
Jailing Costello, Recorder Jacob Hallam told him: “Even though you were driving with children in the car, you had consumed both cannabis and cocaine in the hours before you drove.
“Mr Wester had got off a bus on his way home. He had been encouraged to travel by that mode of transport for safety reasons.
“He had been using his bicycle, but as the nights were drawing in it was felt by those who cared for him that a bus was the safer way to get around.
“The speed limit in Binley Road is 30mph, but you, with children in your car and cocaine and cannabis in your system, were driving at 53mph. You braked when you saw Mr Wester and struck him at 44mph - 14mph over the speed limit.
“You showed breathtaking arrogance and utter contempt for the rules of the road. Your vehicle struck him with a truly terrible force, throwing him in the air and over your vehicle. He stood no chance at all of surviving the collision.
“You pleaded not guilty in August 2019, and that remained the position for the rest of 2019 and the whole of 2020. For over two years Kerry Wester’s family and friends have been in a state of emotional limbo waiting for this to be resolved."
