Drunk road rage driver killed 75-year-old amid 'catalogue of carnage'

James Gill was on bail at the time of the killing for punching two officers, a court heard

A drunk road rage driver who killed a 75-year-old man amid a "catalogue of carnage" has been jailed for 10 years and nine months.

Nottingham Crown Court heard James Gill fractured Neil Robinson's skull after pushing him over in an unprovoked attack on 16 December last year.

Mr Robinson died in hospital six days later - on his grandson's ninth birthday.

Gill had admitted manslaughter at a hearing in May.

The 39-year-old, of Station Road in Doncaster, was sentenced on Friday.

The court heard Gill was on bail at the time of the killing, after punching two police officers in Sheffield days earlier.

On 16 December, Gill drove down to Attenborough in Nottinghamshire to undertake a two-day electrical course.

Sarah Knight, prosecuting, said this was the day he "embarked on a rampage of violence and aggression".

Police said Neil Robinson was injured in Ranson Road, Chilwell

On the first morning of the course he was reported as seeming to be "on something" and "constantly talking about violence and bigging himself up".

At about 12:00 the course broke for lunch, and when Mr Robinson tried to cross the road in front of him Gill got out of his car and confronted him, pushing him to the ground.

Ms Knight said witnesses saw Gill threaten and push the victim, with others saying he denied it in the immediate aftermath and accused Mr Robinson of being drunk.

She said he was "constantly and instantly creating a false account" before fleeing the scene.

Ms Knight said Mr Robinson had suffered "severe and traumatic head injuries", including fractures to his skull, and was "unresponsive" at the scene.

He was taken to hospital by a police officer, but his condition deteriorated and he died on 22 December.

A post-mortem examination gave head injuries as the cause of death.

Arson threat

After the attack, the court heard the defendant drove off and then stole a bottle of vodka, Ribena and chocolate from a nearby Lidl before returning to his course.

After he continued to be disruptive he was asked to leave at about 14:00, the court heard, after which he then got in a confrontation with a woman who objected to him throwing a bottle of vodka out of his car while driving in Long Eaton.

Ms Knight said the Gill's reply "was not conciliatory", telling the woman: "I know littering is wrong, but so is arson, and I'm more than happy to set fire to your car."

Gill used his car to block the woman's passage and stood outside - Ms Knight said he "was peeling an orange, making it clear he was going to be as awkward and truculent as possible" - then when another driver intervened he assaulted him and drove off.

When refuelling his car in Doncaster he also stole more beer, then hit his car into two other vehicles, and when eventually arrested at about 17:30 he assaulted two more police officers during an attempted escape.

Ms Knight said while "aggressively" confronting officers, Gill "categorically denied consuming and alcohol or drugs".

A breath test recorded 94 micrograms of alcohol in his breath, more than twice the legal limit.

The court heard days earlier, on 10 December 2021, Gill entered the All Bar One venue in Sheffield city centre, where he was behaving erratically and "slipping between crying and becoming extremely aggressive".

After he became disruptive he was asked to leave, at which point he kicked a glass door and broke a panel, and when police intervened he assaulted two officers.

He was then arrested and released on bail.

'So horrific'

In a victim impact statement read in court, Edward Robinson said the nature of his father's "senseless" death "still angers me" and has had a huge impact on his family, who were due to celebrate a birthday party on the day he died.

He said: "How can you tell a nine-year-old that his granddad, who he adored, has died on his birthday?

"My father's death has made me do something I promised I would never do: I lied to my children.

"At six and nine, how can you tell them how their granddad died? How can they ever feel safe knowing that something so horrific can happen at random?"

Edward Moss, defending, said his client had suffered "very serious addiction issues" with alcohol and cocaine for many years, and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after having a finger cut off for failing to pay a drug debt.

He said Gill had become sober and apologised for his actions.

While acknowledging the PTSD, Judge Stuart Rafferty QC noted it "was the product of your own doing" and "even that didn't stop you from drinking or taking drugs".

"You had turned yourself into a menace," he said. "It wasn't as if you hadn't had warnings."

Turning to the death of Mr Robinson during the "catalogue of carnage", the judge said Gill could have avoided the situation by staying in his car, but targeted a "frail and sober man".

"You're a big and powerful man, so any blow from you, whether it's a punch or a slap, is going to carry force," he said.

"I hope that every day of your life you will remember and regret what you did to Mr Robinson."

Gill was also sentenced for on assault occasioning actual bodily harm, four assaults on emergency workers, two shoplifting offences, criminal damage and drink-driving.

He was also banned for driving for five years, which will come into force once he is released from prison.