Ralph Fairhurst: Edinburgh hit-and-run driver who sent pedestrian more than 10m in the air jailed

A speeding driver has been jailed for four-and-a-half years over a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian in Edinburgh.

Ralph Fairhurst, 26, was driving more than twice the 20mph speed limit when he struck Kyle Middlemas, 20, as he crossed Easter Road on 19 June 2022.

A court heard how Mr Middlemas was thrown 10m-20m in the air in the collision and died in hospital 10 days later after sustaining serious head and chest injuries.

University student Fairhurst fled the scene of the crash in his Vauxhall Astra but was traced by Police Scotland officers later that day.

At the High Court in Edinburgh in September, Fairhurst pleaded guilty to causing Mr Middlemas’s death by driving dangerously by travelling at excessive speed and failing to maintain proper observations of the road ahead.

He also admitted failing to stop after the collision.

Advocate depute Chris McKenna told the court that Mr Middlemas had started work as a painter and decorator, but was trained in first aid, swimming coaching and as a lifeguard and planned to seek employment in that line of work.

Defence counsel Mark Stewart KC said he was instructed to tender “the deepest and most sincere sympathies of the accused to the family and friends of the deceased”.

The defence lawyer added Fairhurst “simply did not see the deceased” but was aware that he had collided with something.

“At that time it was thought it was perhaps street furniture. He ought to have stopped,” he said.

Fairhurst, of Edinburgh, was jailed by Lord Young when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow for sentencing on Thursday.

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Following the court case, Road Policing Sergeant Paul Ewing said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the young man that lost his life, and I hope that the sentencing brings them some comfort and allows them to move forward.

“Ralph Fairhurst showed absolutely no regard for the law and his reckless actions highlight the devastating consequences of dangerous driving and the lasting impact it has on those involved, along with their families and friends.”