A MAN who caused the death of a 77-year-old pedestrian after drinking more than nine bottles of rum over a two-day period has been jailed.
A car driven by Tom Ferguson, 29, of no fixed abode, collided with Robert Palmer in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on the morning of November 9, 2023.
Earlier that day, Ferguson had been asked to leave a hotel he had been staying in after complaints about him being drunk.
On Friday, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving and was also banned from driving for 13 years.
"Ferguson’s actions were ridiculously irresponsible, getting behind the wheel of a car after a couple of drinks can have devastating effects, let alone driving after consuming nine-and-a-half bottles of rum over a two-day period," said Detective Constable Liam Carolan from Greater Manchester Police.
Chase
At around 11.35am on the day of the incident, officers were called to reports of a road traffic collision on Buxton Road, Stockport.
A BMW 1 Series driven by Ferguson mounted the pavement on its nearside and collided with Mr Palmer near to the junction of Fence Street.
The car then re-joined the carriageway following the collision and began to drive away from the scene.
A member of the public chased Ferguson down and forced him off the road using his own vehicle, bringing him to a stop at a set of traffic lights.
When the member of the public told Ferguson he had collided with a pedestrian, he replied: "Have I? Sorry mate, I didn't even know."
Mr Palmer was taken to hospital but tragically died as a result of his injuries.
Police arrested Ferguson at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and he was taken to custody.
Two days later, he was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, causing death whilst disqualified, causing death whilst uninsured and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
Rum bottles
Officers investigating the lead-up to the collision established that Ferguson had been staying at a hotel in the area and was asked to leave after numerous complaints of him being intoxicated.
On the day of the collision, hotel staff entered his room to ensure he was preparing to leave and found Ferguson on the bed, surrounded by nine empty litre bottles of Captain Morgan's rum.
When checking out, hotel staff noticed Ferguson was holding a half-full bottle of rum but he ignored their advice not to drive.
He stumbled out to the car park where he got into his BMW before reversing out of the parking bay into an adjacent fence.
A member of the public alerted hotel staff, who then called police.
Later forensic work would show that Ferguson was over two times the legal limit to drive, despite being tested hours after the initial collision occurred.
'Deepest fears became reality'
DC Carolan revealed Mr Palmer had been escorting his wife back from hospital when the tragedy occurred.
"Firstly, I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Robert Palmer," he said.
"This is such a sad case of a husband accompanying his wife back from a hospital appointment.
"Robert's wife described him as a true gentleman that he would always make sure that he would position himself on the outside of the pathway to protect her from traffic.
"His deepest fears sadly became a reality when he was hit by Tom Ferguson's BMW."
