Killer driver was so stoned he could barely keep his eyes open for mugshot
A driver who killed an aspiring maths teacher while high on almost twice the legal limit for drugs has been jailed.
Adam Smith, 33, fled from the scene after hitting 18-year-old Oliver Pryde with his Vauxhall Corsa on a road in Huddersfield in the early hours of July 12, 2021.
The teenager, who was just two weeks away from celebrating his 19th birthday, had been watching England play Italy in the delayed final of Euro 2020.
Smith was arrested soon after he made his escape, and his mugshot shows him barely able to open his eyes for the camera.
West Yorkshire Police said he did not have a licence or insurance at the time.
After a six-week trial, he was found guilty of causing death by careless driving when unfit through drugs and causing death whilst unlicensed and uninsured.
This week, Smith was sentenced to 10 years in jail and handed a nine-year driving ban by Leeds Crown Court.
Oliver’s mum Stacey said her son dreamed of becoming a maths teacher at his old secondary school before his life was cut short.
The school has since created a maths award named after him.
In a statement released by police, Stacey said: ‘Oliver wanted to become a maths teacher at his old secondary school.
‘His words were that he wanted to teach others and inspire the next generation just like his teachers had inspired him.
‘Since his death, his school have put in place an award in Oliver’s name, The Oliver Pryde award for mathematics. It’s a way that he can continue to inspire the next generation.
‘No justice will ever be served in my eyes. I am left with a lifetime without Oliver and I’m left trying to rebuild the family that this person broke.’
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