Kyle Patrick, 23, has been jailed for eight years after driving at 119mph while drunk and crashing, killing his teenage passenger Erin Slane, 19. The fatal incident occurred on September 1, 2024, on the B9099 Luncarty to Stanley road in Perthshire, Scotland.
Chilling text messages before the crash
Minutes before the crash, Erin Slane sent a message to friends saying: “I may not survive tonight” and “I'm scared, Kyle is steaming.” She was a passenger in Patrick's Ford Fiesta along with her friend Keira Jones, who survived.
Patrick lost control of the car, which tumbled down a grass embankment into a field, rolled several times, and came to rest on its roof. Erin died at the scene, while Patrick and Keira Jones survived.
Plea and sentencing
Patrick, of Scone, Perthshire, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at the High Court in Edinburgh in May 2026. He also admitted driving while impaired by alcohol and offering lifts from a taxi rank in Perth earlier that day, taking £10 from a teenager for a journey from Perth to Bankfoot.
Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC told the court that Patrick had spent the night drinking in Perth city centre before offering lifts home and driving at “excessive speed.”
Judge's remarks
Sentencing Patrick at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Harrower described the incident as “no mere lapse of judgment” but a “prolonged and deliberate course of driving at grossly excessive speeds while impaired through alcohol.” He added: “Erin was 19, about to start university and had her whole life ahead of her. No sentence of this court can alleviate their anguish.”
Police investigation revealed Patrick's blood alcohol level was over the legal limit, and his speed reached 119mph on the secluded road before the crash.
