A motorist who drove at highly dangerous speeds while under the influence of alcohol has been sentenced to eight years in prison after a teenage passenger sent a chilling text warning friends she might not survive the journey. The text from 19-year-old Erin Slane read: “I may not survive tonight. I’m scared. Kyle is steaming.”
Crash Details and Fatal Outcome
Kyle Patrick, 23, lost control of his vehicle on 1 September 2024 while driving at “grossly excessive speeds” on the way to Gowrie Farm in Perthshire. The car crossed into oncoming traffic, plunged down an embankment, hit a fence, and flipped several times in a field. Erin Slane suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. Another passenger, Keira Jones, sustained serious injuries.
Court Proceedings and Sentence
Patrick admitted to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury to another passenger. He also confessed to driving while impaired by alcohol. At the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, Lord Harrower described the incident as “no mere lapse of judgment” but 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.” He added that Patrick’s actions had brought “terrible devastation” to the family, stating: “No sentence of this court can alleviate their anguish.”
Additional Offences
As part of the charge, Patrick admitted driving up to a taxi rank in Perth earlier that day and offering to take people to their home addresses while under the influence. The 23-year-old, from Scone, Perthshire, will serve the eight-year sentence for the fatal crash.
