Kyle Patrick, 23, drove at 119mph after offering to pick up Erin Slane, 19, and her friend outside a bar in Perth, Scotland – as the terrified women hurtled along rural roads Erin texted her friends
A terrified teen texted her pals “I may not survive tonight. I’m scared. Kyle is steaming” as she was sped along country roads in the car of a drunk driver moments before her tragic death.
Erin Slane, 19, sent the message whilst sitting as a passenger in 23-year-old Kyle Patrick’s Ford Fiesta on September 1, 2024 after she accepted a lift from him, a court heard.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard Patrick was hitting speeds of up to 119 miles per hour on a secluded Perthshire road as terrified Erin texted her friends.
Patrick was speeding along the B9099 Luncarty to Stanley road when he lost control of the car and it left the road, tumbling down a grass embankment into a field before it rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof, Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC told the court.
Patrick survived and Erin’s friend Keira Jones, also 19, also escaped from the wreck with injuries. However, Miss Slane lost her life, the Daily Record reports.
Police investigating the incident found Patrick had spent the night drinking with pals in Perth city centre before offering people lifts home – he took £10 from a teenager for a journey they took from Perth to Bankfoot.
He then picked up Miss Slane and Miss Jones and took them on a car journey which Mr Jessop said was taken at “excessive speed.”
Mr Jessop said: “During the journey, Erin Slane, the deceased, sent a couple of text messages to her friend group.
“At 0157 hours, she sent a message stating: ‘I may not survive tonight. I’m scared. Kyle is steaming.’ At 0205 hours, she wrote: ‘Kyle is steaming.’
“The fatal collision occurred about 0210 hours as the accused was driving his car towards Stanley on the B9099, Luncarty to Stanley Road, near to its junction with Gowrie Farm.
“The accused lost control of the vehicle whereby it crossed the opposing carriageway, left the road way, continued through wire fencing, down the grass embankment to a field, before rolling several times and coming to rest on its roof. The car was extensively damaged by impacts.
“At 0251 hours, the accused called Police Scotland stating he had been involved in a collision, he was the driver and had been drinking alcohol before so should not have been driving. He stated that he had pulled a passenger out of the car – the witness Keira Jones – and was so sorry for driving.
“Police, Fire Service and Ambulance crews attended a short time later. Upon their arrival, there was nothing they could do for Erin Slane who was clearly deceased still within the passenger seat of the car.”
Investigators who took blood from the first offender at 4.30 am – two hours and twenty minutes after the incident – found he was more than three times the drink driving limit at that time.
The story emerged after Patrick, of Scone, Perthshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of causing Miss Slane’s death and serious injury to Miss Jones by driving dangerously whilst being impaired through consuming alcohol.
The court heard that Miss Slane, Miss Jones and three other friends got talking to Patrick outside a bar in Perth and he offered them a lift. He had previously been drinking with friends before offering a boy a lift in exchange for £10 before returning to Perth Centre, the court heard.
The fatal crash happened just a short time later. Investigators examining his car’s infotainment module after the crash found he reached speeds of 119mph during the trip.
The court heard that following the collision Miss Jones suffered a fractured arm, nine broken ribs, a fractured pelvis and a fractured finger – she has now made a full physical recovery.
Miss Slane was 19. Her death took place two days before her birthday – she suffered from blunt force heard injuries caused as a result of her being a front seat passenger in the collision. The court heard that she was due to start studying at Napier University on September 14 2024 and had an older sister and two stepbrothers.
The court also heard that collision investigators concluded that the collision was caused by a number of factors. Mr Jessop added: “These factors being the grossly excessive speed at which the driver of this vehicle had been travelling at coupled with his general driving inexperience, both of which were compounded by him being under the influence of alcohol.”
Defence advocate Tony Lenehan KC said: “Mr Patrick knows the terrible harm he has done, causing the death of Ms Slane. No words of Mr Patrick can do anything to undo this harm.
“He pleads guilty knowing that he deserves a substantial prison sentence. He tells me if he could serve ten times the sentence and be able to undo everything that happened, he would.”
Lord Harrower remanded Patrick in custody and called for a report into his background. He added: “This is a terrible tragedy for Ms Slane and her family, and for Miss Jones and her family.”
As security guards placed Patrick in handcuffs to take him to prison, a man who was sitting in the public gallery shouted: “You should be hung,”
Patrick will be sentenced at the High Court in Dundee on June 9, 2026.
