Jaguar driver, 23, killed pedestrian after overtaking on a blind bend at 73mph – simply months after passing his driving check

A rookie driver killed a pedestrian in a high speed collision after he bought himself a powerful 147mph Jaguar sports car just months after passing his driving test.

Damien Walsh, 23, was overtaking a learner driver near a blind bend at speeds of up 73mph in his uninsured XE R-Sport during the evening rush hour when he lost control and ploughed into civil engineer George Pirtheesingh.

Mr Pirtheesingh, 44 who was on a quick trip to the shops to buy groceries after he and his girlfriend had returned from a holiday in Italy suffered multiple fatal injuries and died at the scene.

Inquiries revealed Walsh, from Westhoughton, near Bolton, Greater Manchester could not afford to insure the high performance Jaguar and due to his inexperience had been unable to control the eight-speed vehicle, which could reach 0 to 60mph in only 6.7 seconds. 

The accident scene had a maximum speed limit of between 20 to 30mph.

At Bolton Crown Court, Mr Pirtheesingh’s partner Caroline Smith a police officer spoke of her immense grief as Walsh, a mechanic, was jailed for seven years and eight months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

‘George was not just my partner, he was my soulmate, best friend the other half of me, the person I was certain I would grow old with,’ she told the hearing. 

‘On the night he was killed we had just returned from a wonderful trip to Florence.

‘He walked to the local shop to get some food for me and never came home. I went to look for him and I saw the blue lights and I instantly knew. I was told at the police corden to walk away – but leaving him there broke something in me.

‘My world stopped at that moment and my life split into two pieces. Part of me died with him.’

Ms Smith said she had to take a year off work following the accident and has since given up her duties as a frontline police officer to work in an administration role. She is on medication for anxiety and PTSD.

She added: ‘Our home used to be a happy and warm and full of laughter, our safe haven. It is now just silent and heavy. I now feel the weight of an empty space beside me.

‘We were due to go on a trip of a lifetime to Malaysia. We had just started house hunting. We were finally going to buy the dog. We talked about our future like a promise, but it was not. It was taken from me in an instant.

‘I miss the easy company. I miss the laughing freely. I miss who I was with him. I miss him. No sentence can bring George back to us. Whatever happens today, my sentence is for life.’

The accident occurred at 6.46pm on October 28 last year after Walsh, who had only passed his test in December 2023, was seen driving aggressively through Westhoughton in wet weather.

Walsh apparently ignored a series of traffic calming measures and a variety of warning signs urging drivers to slow down.

Prosecutor Justin Hayhoe said: ‘Another motorist saw the defendant behind a learner driver and desperately trying to overtake, edging out to seek the earliest opportunity to overtake. 

‘He then overtook the learner car in an aggressive manner at speed estimated at 60mph with the Jaguar revving loudly, like the defendant had dropped a gear and gone for it.

‘The defendant then continued at speed, ignoring the ‘Slow’ sign painted on the road and sped off round the corner. The area was pitch black due to the general lighting conditions.

‘A pedestrian walking his dog said he saw the defendant driving at a ‘ridiculous’ speed as the car began to enter the road at the bend before [he] started to lose control and collide with the wall. 

‘The force of the collision moved the car back into the carriageway before it then collided with a post and came to a halt.

‘At this stage the witness did not know the car had hit a pedestrian. He could see a woman remonstrating with the defendant, who was denying that the manner of his driving had anything to do with the collision.

‘A motorist approaching the scene from the opposite direction heard a very loud bang, saw a lot of debris in the road then then saw Mr Pirtheesingh. 

‘The victim had been doing nothing more than buy produce from a shop and was walking home when struck by the car and pushed into street furniture causing the injuries.

‘The defendant chose to ignore the rules of the road and to disregard the danger to others by speeding at twice the speed limit – on one occasion marginally over the speed limit for the motorway. 

‘Had he been driving within the speed limit this loss of control would not have happened.’

Data from the Jaguar showed Walsh had been driving at 73 mph five seconds prior to the collision. Before losing control he was driving at between 52 and 60 mph. When arrested Walsh refused to answer questions and remaining silent throughout police interview.

His counsel David James said: ‘The defendant is genuinely remorseful and offers an honest and public apology for his actions. 

‘He had purchased the car and it was originally insured, but he had a short period of unemployment during which because he had no income the insurance lapsed. His intention when he had funds, was he would insure the car.

‘At the time it was his first day in employment again and he was traveling to the gym on his way home from work. He braked just before the bend and was going far too fast around the corner. 

‘He did try to assist at the scene, but in that emotional environment he did stop assisting as clearly there was friction between others and his presence there.

‘This is a burden that weighs heavily on him. This is something that will rest upon his shoulders for the rest of his life.’

Walsh will be banned from driving for five years after he is released from jail.

Judge Nicholas Clarke KC told him: ‘ You had bought a powerful car and you chose to drive it without insurance. This was just ten months after passing your test. George was tragically killed because you chose to drive dangerously.

‘Because you accelerated so aggressively and given your inexperience, there was an unavoidable loss of control. George had simply gone for provisions for himself and his partner Caroline. 

‘She perhaps will feel the loss most keenly as she had been looking forward to the two of them spending their lives together.

‘All future plans for her and George’s family are ruined. They will have to live with the loss that they bear for the rest of their lives.’

Privately educated Mr Pirtheesingh attended Birkenhead School on the Wirral where he took A Levels in Ancient History, English Literature, Latin and General Studies before graduating in Ancient History and Archaeology at Durham University. 

He worked as engineer for an architectural glazing company, which now presents award in his name to high achieving employees.