Popular taxi driver killed by chef driving on the wrong side of road

A taxi driver described as the "kindest, funniest, most genuine and helpful taxi driver ever" was killed by a motorist driving on the wrong side of the road, a court has heard. Christopher Boyle died of traumatic injuries after a BMW being driven by Italian chef Mateusz Sikorski ploughed into his taxi on a quiet Pembrokeshire road.

Swansea Crown Court heard Sikorski was visiting friends in Wales with a view to taking up a job in their restaurant at the time of the collision, and that he had been driving on the wrong side of the road "for at least half a mile" before the head-on smash.

Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said at around 10.15pm on the night of September 2 this year Mr Boyle - a father-of-five known to his wide circle of friends as "Mukka" - was driving northbound on A4139 at Penally near Tenby when his car was struck by a BMW coming in the opposite direction. Despite the best efforts of paramedics and firefighters the 57-year old died at the scene. The barrister said the BMW was being driven by the defendant who, though Polish by birth, had grown up in Italy and then worked around Europe as a chef. Mr Pulling said Sikorski was in Wales to discuss coming to work in a restaurant in Pembrokeshire owned by friends, and while in the county had been allowed the use the Manobier couple's car and had been put on their insurance.

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The court heard that collision investigators had concluded from the distribution of damage to both vehicles and the positioning of the cars that it had been a head-on collision and that the taxi had been travelling in its correct lane while the BMW had been travelling on the wrong side of the road. The barrister said CCTV footage recovered from the Kiln Park service station around half a mile from the crash scene "clearly showed" the BMW driving along on the wrong side of the road shortly before the crash, and he said it was a reasonable assumption to make that Sikorski had been driving on the incorrect side of the carriageway "for at least half a mile" prior to the collision. He said: "As a result of the defendant driving on the wrong side of the carriageway, a head-on collision occurred."

The court heard Sikorski was spoken to at the scene and initially told officers he had been driving on the right side of the road but later said "I think it may have been my fault. I think I was on the wrong side of the road". The defendant was taken to Glangwili Hospital where he was subsequently arrested. He answered "no comment" to all questions asked in interview. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here.

A statement from members of Mr Boyle family which was read to the court said his death had left a "profound void" in their lives which could never be filled. It said his absence from their lives was "felt deeply every single day" and would echo through their hearts and lives forever. The statement said their "lifetime of grief" had been caused by a moment of selfish dangerous driving.

Mateusz Sikorski had previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

James Hartson, for Sikorski, said nothing he would say in mitigation was intended to diminish or detract from the incomparable loss and grief Mr Boyle's family was suffering. He said Sikorski was a chef who had worked throughout Europe and had been staying with friends in Pembrokeshire with a view to working in their restaurant. He said the couple who owned the restaurant knew the deceased well as he was the "taxi driver of choice" for their customers. The barrister said while his client accepted full criminal responsibility for his actions, the offence was "born out of a lapse in concentration" - although given the length of time the defendant had likely been on the wrong side of the road he said it had to be accepted that it was a significant lapse in concentration. He added that Sikorski felt "genuine and heartfelt remorse" for his actions.

Judge Geraint Walters said cases such as the one before the court were some of the most difficult judges had to deal with. He said while Sikorski was in all other regards a "harmless man who leads a law-abiding life" his dangerous actions on the night in question had caused harm which "could not be much worse" and which had taken the life of a loving son, partner, father and brother. With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea and in line with the sentencing guidelines the judge sentenced Sikorski to two years and four months in prison. The defendant will serve no more than half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was disqualified from driving for a total of six years and two months and must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back.

The judge said the case highlighted the fact that every time someone gets behind the wheel of a car they owe an obligation to other road users to ensure they were driving correctly and carefully. He added: "These days it seems perhaps many of us forget to treat the road with the respect it deserves."

Speaking after the sentencing Craig Harding, senior crown prospector with the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Mateusz Sikorski’s manner of driving posed a major risk to other road users and resulted in fatal consequences. Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr Boyle’s family and friends who have suffered a dreadful loss."

Following Mr Boyle's death Tenby Taxis paid tribute to him saying: "Words cannot express our broken hearts. As a taxi community we lost one of the best. The kindest, funniest, most genuine, helpful taxi driver ever. “We are all, heartbroken, saddened and in total disbelief at the loss of our colleague, and dear friend. Chris was such a character and totally irreplaceable. He would help anybody for any reason at any time, he was such a gentleman always smiling always happy and always very good to everyone he met. We love you, we will miss you."

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