Teenager jailed for six years over death of Jill Pirrie

Dylan Jenkin was driving a Ford Ka which struck and killed mother-of-one Jill Pirrie

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Learner driver Dylan Jenkin,18, had no insurance and was driving a £40 Ford Ka he bought on Gumtree when he ploughed into mum-of-one Jill Pirrie, 33, as she walked home from work.

The horror crash took place at Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, on May 12 2016 after Jenkin lost control of his car on a bend.

Police Scotland Handout image of Jill Pirrie.

Judge Lord McEwan told Jenkin, who sobbed throughout: “ On May 12 you and one of your friends bought a car for £40 on the Gumtree internet site. The vehicle was uninsured and registered as off the road.

“The state of the car and the manner of driving attracted the attention of the police who pursued you in a marked police car, signalling you to stop.

“You did not stop, but evaded the police and drove off at a high and excessive speed. This was seen by several witnesses and for a brief time the police lost sight of your car.

“An unmitigated tragedy was about to unfold.

Floral tributes are being left for a nurse was killed when she was hit by a car which was being chased by police in Edinburgh. Three people have been detained. Jill Pirrie is believed to have been walking home from work. Picture; Neil Hanna

“Jill Pirrie never got home and now her family and colleagues will never see her alive again.”

Jill was walking home after finishing her shift at the Royal Infirmary Hospital in Edinburgh when she was fatally injured.

Jenkin had earlier failed to stop for police officers who were pursuing him for driving without insurance.

She was struck from behind and was thrown against a wall and suffered fractured ribs and severe chest and head injuries.

She was rushed to the Royal Infirmary where staff battled to save their colleague’s life, but she died later that day.

Jenkin, from Edinburgh, ran off from the scene and didn’t give himself up for another day.

He later turned up to the hospital for treatment and confessed that he was responsible for taking Jill’s life.

Prosecution lawyer Alex Prentice QC said: “On the morning of Saturday May 14, while the accused was being treated, he was asked if he knew why the police were present.

“He indicated that it was because of the crash and admitted involvement.

“He broke down, started crying and repeatedly said ‘I didn’t mean to kill her,’

“He acknowledged that the police had been behind him when he was driving the car. He maintained that the brakes had failed.

“He started crying again and continually said he was sorry.

“Road traffic collision investigators examined the vehicle and found no defects which would have caused or contributed to the collision.”

Jenkin pleaded guilty to causing Ms Pirrie’s death by driving dangerously and other traffic offences

Mr Prentice added: “She was a much loved mother, daughter and partner who leaves behind her five-year-old son Matthew, who is now in the full time custody of his father.”

Mr Prentice told the court that Jenkin and a friend had bought the car for £40 from a man who advertised it on Gumtree.

During the afternoon of May 12 2016, Jenkin drove the car around Edinburgh with a number of passengers on board.

Around 7.45pm that night, two police officers saw Jenkin driving the car in the city’s Milton Road.

Mr Prentice said the Ka was “in a state of disrepair” and officers checked the Police National Computer because they were suspicious about the vehicle.

After discovering that the vehicle wasn’t insured and that the DVLA had been notified that it was off road, the coppers asked for assistance.

Police signalled Jenkin to stop, but he sped away with a police car in pursuit.

One driver travelling in the opposite direction to Jenkin said that the Ka was travelling at a grossly excessive speed towards the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. It then overtook other vehicles before he lost sight of it.

A woman dog walker in Old Dalkeith Road, at Little France Road, heard the loud sound of a car engine and saw the silver Ford Ka travelling towards her. She took evasive action by running back to the pavement.

Jill was returning home from the Royal Infirmary having completed her shift that day. She normally walked home – a distance of just over a mile.

Jenkin attempted to turn left onto Kingston Avenue and lost control and the car skidded across the junction.

The car then struck Jill from behind throwing her against a wall and colliding with a roadside signpost and the wall there before coming to rest.

Jill was thrown to the left side of the car and pedestrians went to her aid.

Mr Prentice told the court that Jenkin and a passenger left the vehicle at that point and ran away. Meanwhile, paramedics arrived and detected Jill was in cardiac arrest and had injuries to the right side of her chest, right leg and pelvic area.

Defence advocate Brian McConnachie QC said the fact his client didn’t stop for the police meant Miss Pirrie lost her life.

He said “Mr Jenkin will have to live with the fact for the rest of his life that he is responsible for that.”