Police have released images of the dangerous driver before the crash that killed his friend

Police have released footage of a car speeding past and overtaking other vehicles in the moments before a fatal crash in Leicestershire. Luke Sullivan, who was behind the wheel, was today (Wednesday 29 May) jailed for six years and eight months at Leicester Crown Court for causing the death of his friend Kieran Andrews, 26, by dangerous driving.

Mr Andrews’ family said in a tribute that their “pain” was “still raw” after his death in March last year. Sullivan, 23, of Link Road, Anstey, was found to have cocaine in his system during a preliminary drugs test at hospital after the collision in Leicester Road, Anstey.

Leicestershire Police said Sullivan appeared to lose control of the vehicle before going up a grass verge and colliding with a wooden fence and a post. The force today released footage showing Sullivan driving dangerously in a black BMW before the crash and fleeing the scene to highlight the impact dangerous driving can have on “numerous lives”.

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On Saturday, March 18 last year, Mr Andrews was the front-seat passenger in the BMW driven by Sullivan, with another male passenger in the back, police said. The vehicle left the Station Road area of ​​Glenfield at around 10.17am, with CCTV and dashcam footage gathered by police showing the car being driven erratically and dangerously overtaking other vehicles.

The collision happened at around 10.30am on Leicester Road, Anstey, police said. Members of the public at the scene tried to help Mr Andrews along with paramedics but unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the scene, the force said.

An autopsy is said to have found that Mr Andrews had suffered a fatal chest injury. The passenger in the back of the vehicle suffered minor injuries, he added.

An investigation was launched to locate Sullivan before police were contacted by a family member of the defendant after he had returned home that evening. That led to Sullivan’s arrest, police said.

Sullivan was taken to the hospital to be checked out after suffering minor injuries in the collision, where a preliminary drug test at the hospital tested positive for cocaine. Sullivan was charged in December 2023 and at Leicester Crown Court in February this year, he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Officer on the case, Constable Paul Hicks, from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “When you drive, you are ultimately in charge of a potentially dangerous weapon. If you are not fully in control when you drive, you put your lives and the lives of others at such great risk, as this case tragically showed.”

In a tribute released by the force today, Mr Andrews’ family said their “suffering” was “still raw”. Their full statement read: “We will never forget the morning of Saturday 18th March 2023 when two police officers told us that our beloved son Kieran had died in a road traffic collision.

“This is news no parent should have to receive. The suffering in our family is still raw.

“Kieran was 26 and getting his life together, taking the necessary qualifications to enable him to start a career in construction. We have been told how well Kieran is doing and as a family we have no doubt that Kieran would have succeeded in whatever he set his mind to and had a successful future.

“The only comfort we can take from anything is to realize how loved and popular Kieran was. Over 300 people attended Kieran’s funeral.

“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.”

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