Drugged driver who killed friend in Anstey crash has been jailed

A drug driver whose friend was killed when the car he was driving crashed into a lamppost has been jailed.

Luke Sullivan, 24, was driving a black BMW when he lost control on Leicester Road in Anstey, Leicestershire, on March 18, 2023.

His friend Kieran Andrews, 26, suffered fatal chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sullivan was found to have cocaine in his system and pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in February.

During a sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday, Sullivan, of Link Road, Anstey, was jailed for six years and eight months.

Leicestershire Police said the driver was seen driving erratically in the Station Road area of ​​Glenfield at around 10.15am GMT on the day of the crash.

He then lost control of the car, which went up a grass verge and collided with a wooden fence and a lamp post.

CCTV showed Sullivan fleeing the collision and he was caught later that day.

He suffered minor injuries, along with a passenger in the back of the car, and tested positive for cocaine at the hospital.

In a statement, Mr Andrews’ family said their suffering was “still raw”.

“We will never forget the morning of Saturday 18th March 2023 when two police officers told us that our beloved son Kieran had been killed in a road traffic collision,” they said.

“This is news no parent should have to receive.

“The only comfort we can take from anything is to realize how loved and popular Kieran was.

“A huge void has been left in many people’s lives that will never be replaced.

“We cannot put into words the pain that has been caused to us.

“Our family has been torn apart and there is no sentence that will bring our son back.”

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Det Con Paul Hicks, from Leicestershire Police, said: “Luke Sullivan took control of a vehicle in the most dangerous of circumstances which led to the death of his friend and also changed his own life forever.

“This should not have happened and would not have happened if Sullivan had just made the right choice that morning.”