Drug driver who knocked down pedestrian jailed

ADANGEROUS driver has been jailed for killing a young father as he walked along the pavement to work.

Lewis Charles Payne, 32, was jailed for seven and a half years after he admitted causing the death of Zac Betty, 24, by dangerous driving.

A court heard the defendant, of Stockwood in Bristol, was the driver and sole occupant of his Audi A3 on Airport Road in the city just before 10pm on Sunday, July 10, 2022.

Mr Betty, of Knowle in Bristol, was walking on the pavement when Payne’s car mounted the kerb, crossed a cycle lane and struck him.

The car did not stop until it collided with a lamppost.

Members of the public rushed to help and called the emergency services, but Mr Betty had sustained multiple injuries and could not be saved.

A police expert witness said that in the moments before the collision the Audi was being driven at speeds of up to 51mph on the 30mph road.

Payne pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in December last year and was back at Bristol Crown Court to be sentenced on Thursday.

In addition to the prison sentence, he was also banned from driving for eight years and nine months.

The defendant claimed to have blacked out just before the collision. He was unable to supply medical evidence to support this and his account was contradicted by CCTV evidence showing that the vehicle’s brake lights were on.

Evidence of both cannabis and cocaine use was found in samples of Payne’s blood.

The remains of a takeaway burger meal and drink, bought 15 minutes earlier, were found in the car footwell, along with a partially smoked cigarette.

Mr Betty, who had a young son, was described as a loving, caring and selfless son, brother, uncle and father.

After the sentencing, his parents issued a further statement: “Today the wheels of justice have turned and the person who took away our son has been sentenced.

“No parent should ever have to be in the position where they bury a child. It is not the way of the world. There is no sentence that will bring back our Zac.

“The hole that has been left by his loss could never be filled or reduced by any sentence.

“We would now appreciate time and space to process what has happened.

“As a family we appreciate all the support from all the agencies involved.”

Sentencing, His Honour Judge William Hart said Payne was travelling between 48 and 50mph in a 30mph limit and struck Mr Betty from behind after crossing the width of the pavement.

The judge dismissed Payne’s claim to have “blacked out”, saying that CCTV showed his brake lights coming on.

Judge Hart added: “No sentence I can give will undo a life lost.”

Speaking after the sentencing, investigating officer Dai Nicholas said: “I’d firstly like to pass on my thanks to those members of the public who tried to help at the scene, and the witnesses who came forward.

“The medical evidence showed that Lewis Payne was over the legal limit for cannabis and still had traces of cocaine in his system. The forensic expert said the level of the active ingredient of cannabis in his blood would have significantly affected his ability to safely control a motor vehicle.

“His decision to get behind the wheel has devastated a family. I hope they can now start to find some peace.”