Drink driver who killed elderly cyclist carried on driving after fatal collision

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A drink driver who killed a "loving and caring" grandfather after hitting him with his van was so intoxicated that he continued driving after the fatal crash.

Matthew Clemo, 56, mowed down cyclist Michael Partridge, 76, in Bedwas, Caerphilly, on September 25 last year. The offender had downed vodka and cider while at the wheel and was more than twice the legal drink drive limit at the time of the collision.

Mr Partridge tragically died at the scene as a result the injuries he sustained after being crushed between the van and a parked car, Wales Online reports.

Clemo, who also had a low level of cannabis and painkillers in his system, carried on driving and smashed into several parked vehicles - only coming to a stop when his airbags were deployed.Clemo was just minutes from his own home having driven from work in Bristol and had been drinking vodka from a bottle in the van.A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Clemo was driving a Ford Transit along Pandy Road just before 1pm while extremely intoxicated, later registering 96mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.The defendant drifted onto the wrong side of the road in the built up residential street and was just over the speed limit of 30mph.Despite clipping a parked van, Clemo continued on driving and later collided with Mr Partridge who was riding his bike on the right side of the road.Even after the fatal collision, the defendant carried on driving until he collided with another vehicle.Mr Partridge was treated at the scene by paramedics and Heli ambulance crew but he died at the scene having sustained multiple injuries that were unsurvivable.Judge Nicola Saffman said: "Mr Partridge was a 76-year-old retired gentleman who worked hard all his life in