SpindriftA driver high on cocaine, cannabis and Valium who killed two men after going at speeds of more than 100mph has been jailed for almost ten years.
Taylor Hanlon lost control of his high-powered Subaru on the A706 near Kepscaith Farm in West Lothian on August 29, 2020.
The unemployed 27-year-old’s car landed upturned in a field.
Connor Elgey, 19, and Troi Lawton, 23, were passengers in the vehicle and died as a result.
Father and son Andrew and John Goldie – also in the Subaru – were badly hurt.
SpindriftTests later showed Hanlon had earlier taken cocaine, cannabis and Valium before getting behind the wheel in the early hours of that morning.
On Monday, Hanlon was sentenced to nine years and seven months having earlier pled guilty to causing the deaths and serious injury by dangerous driving.
Lord Mulholland told him at the High Court in Glasgow: “The car was powerful and high performance.
“Such a vehicle requires responsible driving, but yours was anything but.
“You were clearly unfit to drive and were a danger to yourself, the passengers as well as other road users.
“I have read victim impact statements from the families and they are heartbreaking in their terms.
“You have given them a life sentence of grief and loss.”
Hanlon – who was already behind bars for a domestic matter – was also banned from the road for 16 years and ten months.
Hanlon, of Bathgate, West Lothian, had been driving that morning taking him and the others to Mr Goldie’s home.
Prosecutor Chris McKenna said the journey took him onto the A71 in West Calder.
Mr McKenna added: “The speed limit is set at 60mph. Hanlon was recorded travelling at a speed of approximately 111mph.”
One witness recalled hearing “wheels screeching”.
The court heard he continued to go over the limit as the men neared Kepscaith Farm.
Mr McKenna then explained: “He negotiated a bend at excessive speed, lost control and mounted a kerb.
“He collided with wall which resulted in the vehicle becoming airborne.
“The car landed in an adjacent field and repeatedly overturned before coming to a stop upside down.”
Mr Lawton and the Goldies were flung from the Subaru as it rolled.
Hanlon dialled 999 and claimed his car had “unexpectedly come off the road”.
He said he could not get a response from any of his passengers.
Emergency crews arrived and it was found chef Mr Elgey was already dead from a head injury.
Mr Lawton, a mechanic, was discovered 41 metres away from the car. He had also suffered a fatal head injury.
The Goldies were also in the field before being rushed to hospital in Edinburgh for urgent treatment.
Andrew Goldie, 52, had suffered brain damage, badly broken ribs and other fractures.
He ended up having to be placed in a rehab unit to try and recover from his ordeal.
Mr McKenna: “He struggles greatly with his mobility and relies on others in relation to day to day activities.”
His 28-year-old son’s injuries included a bleed on the brain as well as skull and cheekbone fractures. He also suffered panic attacks.
John Goldie was able to be released from hospital on September 10, 2020.
John Scullion KC, defending, said Hanlon “visibly regrets his actions and the tragic consequences”.
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