Wiltshire man sentenced for killing motorcyclist

A man from Wiltshire has been sentenced today (31 January 2023) at Winchester Crown Court after he deliberately drove into the back of a motorbike, causing the tragic death of 43-year-old Ryan Brindley.

Paul Barrett, 43, from Mere, Wiltshire, admitted manslaughter having suffered from a severe mental health episode that medical experts agreed was a significant contributory factor in him causing the death Ryan Brindley.

He was sentenced to a hospital order under the Mental Health Act and disqualified from driving for two years.

During the early evening of 22 December 2021, Barrett had taken his mother’s Volkswagen Touran 4x4 vehicle and was driving erratically at speeds of between 70 and 80mph, through the village of Dinton, making several U-turns in the road.

Dash Cam footage from the Touran showed Ryan Brindley’s motorbike travelling in the opposite direction to Barrett along Hindon Road, when Barrett immediately stopped his vehicle and made a U-turn in the road to pursue Ryan’s motorbike.

Barrett accelerated sharply to catch up with Ryan’s motorbike and deliberately collided with him. Both vehicles crashed through a stone wall at the side of the road. Ryan sustained injuries that were instantly fatal because of the impact caused by Barrett’s driving.

It appears that Barrett targeted Ryan completely at random, with no evidence to suggest that they knew each other.

Rachel Bailey, CPS Wessex Crown Advocate, said: “Ryan Brindley’s death is an absolute tragedy, and our thoughts are with his family who have suffered such a terrible loss.

“No one can bring Ryan back or make amends for taking his life in such dreadful circumstances, but we hope that the conclusion of this case will at least bring a small sense of comfort that justice has been delivered.”