Man Admits to Manslaughter of Ambulance Worker After Drive-by Incident

Toby Kelly, 38, a man accused of killing an off-duty ambulance worker by driving over him in a pub car park, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Kelly admitted to being "mortal drunk" during the incident, which occurred at the Bay Horse Inn in Cramlington, on April 1. The court heard that Kelly had been told he would not be served any more drinks and that there was a disturbance as he dragged his girlfriend out by her legs. Mr. Flanighan and Mr. Common intervened, telling him he should not be driving in his condition. However, Kelly drove aggressively and erratically around the car park, knocking down and driving over Mr. Flanighan and Mr. Common, before accelerating away from the area.

Key Takeaways:

• Toby Kelly, 38, pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Sheldon Flanighan and admitted being "mortal drunk" at the time of the incident.
• Kelly dragged his girlfriend out of the pub by her legs, which led to a disturbance and intervention by Mr. Flanighan and Mr. Common.
• Kelly drove aggressively and erratically around the car park, knocking down and driving over Mr. Flanighan and Mr. Common.
• Kelly accepted that he drove the vehicle "dangerously" and that he had a duty of care to pedestrians in the car park.
• Kelly said he was "too drunk to be in charge of a vehicle" and that his thought processes were not the same as when he was sober.
• Kelly believed the deceased and his friend were trying to stop him from drink driving, but denied intentionally causing harm.

Statistics:

• Date of incident: April 1
• Number of people injured: 2 (Mr. Flanighan deceased, Mr. Common seriously injured)
• Number of pedestrians involved in the incident: 3 (Kelly, Mr. Flanighan, and Mr. Common)
• Number of vehicles involved: 1 (Kelly's van)

Sources:

• "Man accused of killing ambulance worker outside Cramlington pub"
• "Sheldon Flanighan death outside Cramlington pub: two verdicts recorded"
• "Man denies murder of Sheldon Flanighan outside Cramlington pub"