Man pleads guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility

Wednesday, 21 December 2022 00:00

A man who killed a motorcyclist by deliberately driving into him during an incident in Dinton at the end of last year has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

Paul Barrett, aged 42, of White Road, Mere, appeared at Winchester Crown Court yesterday (20/12). He pleaded guilty and has been remanded in custody before sentencing on a date yet to be fixed in January.

The charge relates to the death of motorcyclist Ryan Brindley, who died following a collision on the B3089 Hindon Road, in Dinton, shortly before 7.30 pm on 22 December 2021.

On the evening in question, Barrett had left an address in Mere, driving a Volkswagen Touran, to travel to Wilton for a pre-arranged appointment, apparently.

However, dash cam footage from that vehicle showed him driving through the village of Dinton a number of times, reaching speeds of up to 80mph despite being a 30mph zone.

He then observed lone motorcyclist Ryan, 43, coming in the opposite direction, so he turned around and followed him, driving at high speed to catch him up.

Barrett then deliberately collided with the rear of the motorcycle, carrying it along the road and causing Ryan to fall off onto the ground.

Ryan was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Barrett was arrested and taken to the hospital for assessment before being taken into police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Childe, from the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “The killing of Ryan Brindley appears to have been an entirely random and unprovoked incident.

“When we were able to watch the dash cam footage from the car Barrett was driving, it was clear that he was driving around the Dinton area and then changed direction to follow Ryan when he spotted his motorcycle.

“We do not believe they were known to each other, or that there had been any previous interaction between the pair. It seems that Ryan was targeted entirely at random.

“I would like to pay tribute to Ryan’s family who have suffered such a sad loss, and thank them for the support they have shown during the police investigation. It is almost exactly a year to the day that Ryan was taken from them in the cruellest of circumstances and my thoughts remain with them at this extremely difficult time.”