'Grieving' man had taken cocaine before police pursuit which led to death of Wigan grandmother, court hears

Kathleen Kirby, 66, was walking along Bolton Road, Ashton, on the afternoon of June 26 with Cliff Bullen, her partner of 22 years, after a visit to Three Sisters nature reserve.

But Bolton Crown Court heard today that tragedy struck when she was hit by a van, causing fatal injuries.

That van had been hit by a silver Audi TT, driven by Chad Rimmington, 32, which was being pursued by police.

Colin Buckle, prosecuting, said the car caught the attention of police officers driving along Bickershaw Lane, Abram, at around 2.30pm due to its speed.

The police car turned round and tried to get the Audi to stop, but it did not, triggering a pursuit along Bickershaw Lane, Lily Lane and Bolton Road, towards Ashton town centre.

Video footage played in court showed the Audi driving in the middle of the road, between vehicles travelling in both directions.

Mr Buckle said Rimmington reached 78mph in a 30mph zone, went through two red traffic lights and at one point he slammed on the brakes, causing the police car to hit the rear of the Audi, before continuing to drive.

The Audi then crashed into an Amazon van turning onto Bolton Road from Orchard Street, which hit Ms Kirby as she walked along the pavement.

She fell backwards and was knocked unconscious, with Mr Bullen and a passing nurse carrying out CPR until paramedics arrived.

Ms Kirby was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, but a doctor confirmed she had died.

A large number of her relatives attended court for the hearing, with victim impact statements revealing the devastation her death had caused.

Mr Bullen said his partner, known as “Kath”, was “admired” by everyone and more than 100 bunches of flowers were left on Bolton Road in her memory, while more than 500 people attended her funeral.

They had both recently retired and were looking forward to spending more time together and watching their grandchildren grow up.

But now he has nightmares, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and struggles to drive or even walk along a busy road.

He said: “I was inches away from also being killed myself and sometimes when I am alone at night and reliving the nightmare over and over again, I wished I had been. I will never forget the rest of that horrific day.”

Ms Kirby’s daughter Rachel Bartram spoke about the support her mother provided and the uncertain future she and her daughter now face.

She told Rimmington: “Chad, the man responsible for killing my mum, will never know the pain I feel right now and I will have to carry this for the rest of my life.

"You have stolen my mum’s future, our future together, our family’s future, my stepdad’s future.”

Her sister Vicki Naylor told the court she spoke to their mother every day as she drove home from work.

Ms Kirby loved going on holiday, but planned trips around her grandchildren’s birthdays so she would always be able to make cakes for them, she said.

"Who am I going to learn from now? Who is going to guide me?” she said.

"She should be here with us. She wasn’t ill. She was fit, she was healthy.”

She told Rimmington: “She wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time, you were.”

Rimmington stopped the car shortly after the collision – after also narrowly missing a dog walker crossing Bolton Road – and police officers rushed to arrest him.

Tests showed he had 32mg of cocaine per litre of blood, compared to the legal limit for driving of 10mg, and more than 200mg of cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, for which the legal limit is 50mg.

The court heard he had never passed a driving test and was on bail at the time awaiting a trial for possessing a knife in a public place.

Paul Treble, defending, said Rimmington, of Siddow Common, Leigh, admitted being responsible for the collision at the scene, as well as when interviewed by the police.

He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while unlicensed, uninsured or disqualified.

Mr Treble said: “All he can say is he is sorry for what he has done. He deeply regrets what he has done. For what it’s worth, to the bereaved and the family, he takes full responsibility for what he did.”

He told the court Rimmington’s partner had died 12 days earlier, after struggling to get help with her mental ill health and taking her own life.

The pair had met in 2018 while they were both drug addicts and they helped each other to get clean, develop settled lives and start to save money.

They bought the Audi TT for Rimmington’s partner, seeing it as a “good investment”, Mr Treble said.

He said Rimmington got behind the wheel after taking drugs following his partner’s death and had not been able to sleep.

“That day, he got in the car to drive to the bridge where she took her own life to do the same,” he said.

"It was selfish, thoughtless, self-pitying – no doubt about that – but that was when he got in that vehicle and the police, quite rightly, wanted to speak to him for his driving. He carried on. In his head, it was to see his partner.”

Mr Buckle said the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving was life imprisonment.

According to sentencing guidelines, the starting point for someone convicted after a trial was 12 years’ imprisonment, with a range of eight to 18 years, he said.

Recorder Nicholas Clarke, KC, adjourned the hearing until Thursday morning, when he will impose Rimmington’s sentence.