See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:54 BST, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 14:03 BST, 8 July 2026
A drink driver who killed a 19-year-old passenger in his car after crashing into a field at 119mph has been jailed for eight years. Erin Slane was inside the Ford Fiesta ST-3 being driven by Kyle Patrick when he crashed in Perthshire on September 1, 2024, after travelling at 'grossly excessive speeds'. Ms Slane had messaged friends during the journey saying, 'I may not survive tonight. I'm scared. Kyle is steaming', the High Court in Glasgow heard. Patrick, 23, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, and causing serious injury to another passenger.He admitted repeatedly speeding on the journey towards Gowrie Farm and losing control of the vehicle, which crossed on to the opposite carriageway, went down an embankment, hit a fence and rolled over several times in a field.Ms Slane's injuries were so severe she died at the scene, while another passenger was left seriously injured.Patrick had spent the night drinking with friends at several pubs in Perth city centre, and when investigators took blood from him at 4.30am - two hours and 20 minutes after the incident - they found he was more than three times the drink driving limit. They also uncovered he had been offering people lifts home, taking £10 from a teenager for a journey from Perth to Bankfoot. Erin Slane, 19, (pictured) was killed after her 23-year-old driver crashed into a field while travelling at 'grossly excessive speeds' Driver Kyle Patrick, 23, (pictured) was jailed for eight years today over the fatal crash He then picked up Ms Slane and the other passenger and took them on a car journey, during which they wore their seatbelts. Patrick reached a speed of 119mph in a 60mph area before losing control of the vehicle, the court heard. Following the crash, he called police to report what had happened. Judge Lord Harrower sentenced Patrick to eight years in prison when he appeared for sentencing at the High Court this morning. He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years, after which he must sit an extended driving test before he is allowed back on the road. Lord Harrower said the incident was 'no mere lapse of judgment' on Patrick's part and that he had demonstrated a 'prolonged and deliberate course of driving at grossly excessive speeds while impaired through alcohol'.The judge said: 'Erin was 19, about to start university and had her whole life ahead of her.'I have assessed your culpability as the highest level of seriousness, having regard to the prolonged course of dangerous driving at a grossly excessive speed while impaired by alcohol.'You demonstrated a complete disregard over a sustained period for the danger you caused to others, particularly your two passengers while driving on a rural road.' Ms Slane was about to start university and had her 'whole life ahead of her', a judge said Speaking of Ms Slane, the judge added: 'I am grateful to her mother, sister and step-father who provided moving accounts about the young woman she was, why she was special to them and the terrible devastation inflicted on the whole family. No sentence can alleviate their grief.'There is no alternative to a significant custodial sentence.' As part of the charge, Patrick admitted driving while his ability to do so properly was impaired because he had consumed alcohol.Tony Lenehan KC, representing Patrick, said the defendant feels the 'true weight of his remorse'.'He understands that he will and must pay a heavy price for his actions,' he said. 'He stayed at the scene, called for help and told the truth.'His remorse is genuine. He knows none of that will be of much comfort to the families affected by his actions.'
