A paramedic's deranged obsession with a female colleague led him to gatecrash her barbecue which would ultimately cause the end of a man's life.
Robert Woodruff, 36, downed 10 pints of Guinness in a pub crawl just a few hours before he decided to pick up the keys to his dad's Nissan Juke and head to the woman's house. The paramedic proceeded to speed down the narrow road from Withernsea to Ottringham at approximately 80mph.
Meanwhile, he was repeatedly trying to phone his colleague after previously telling her he would turn up at her house with or without an invite. He had continued to try and call her all while swerving down the stretch of country road, Hull Live reports.
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As Woodruff sped westwards along a straight stretch of road towards Ottringham, he tailgated a Vauxhall Cavalier. The driver quickly noticed Woodruff "bearing down on him" and said he was so close that he couldn't see the registration plate.
Another driver who spotted what was happening exclaimed: "What an idiot." Completely unaware of the chaos developing on the road, dad-of-five Richard Goodwin cycled down the same stretch of road, heading eastwards towards Patrington.
The 56-year-old property developer was returning from a BBQ with his friends and was heading to his home near Winestead. At the same time, Woodruff pulled out on the road while trying to overtake one car, forcing an Audi coming in the other direction to swerve out of the way.
All it took was a moment for Woodruff to reach down for his phone to make another call and veer onto the opposite side of the road, crashing straight into Mr Goodwin. The cyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was immediately thrown onto the bonnet, causing multiple fatal injuries.
The Nissan proceeded to come off the road and continue 100 metres over a grass verge, becoming airborne over a water culvert. The vehicle continued along undergrowth, a verge, and across a cycle path before crashing in the front yard of a cottage - Mr Goodwin's body was later discovered in the undergrowth.
Woodruff, who survived the crash, stumbled from the wreckage with blood pouring from a head wound and smelling of alcohol. Speaking to one witness, he said :"I f***ed up. I have proper f***ed up this time."
He added: "I am in a proper mess. I was reaching down to check my phone. I was driving to see my girlfriend. I swerved." However, what Woodruff seemed to forget was that the colleague was not his girlfriend and never had been.
Appearing at Hull Crown Court this week for sentencing, Judge Mark Bury heard Woodruff "held a candle or a flame" for the female paramedic which was "not requited". Among all the calls Woodruff made that night, she had only answered one of them.
During the call, Woodruff told her while slurring his words due to an almost six-hour bender that he planned to turn up to a barbecue she was hosting. Initially, he claimed he would turn up within 15 minutes by grabbing a taxi.
But, he quickly gave up on that idea after attempting to call some taxis so he asked his dad for the keys to his car, claiming it was for urgent paramedic work the next day. During his time in court, Woodruff appeared unemotional and showed little to no interest in the proceedings going on in front of him.
Meanwhile, the family of Mr Goodwin who were present in the public benches, felt he was "smug" and disrespectful. The court heard evidence that after the crash, Woodruff managed to pick up a job as a delivery driver before his case came to court.
He had boasted about "doubling his wages" while still receiving full pay from the ambulance service while under suspension. In fact, while the Goodwin family mourned the death of a loved one, Woodruff spent his extra cash on a lavish lads holiday abroad.
Woodruff's lawyer attempted to portray him as a man with an "impeccable" record of serving the public and saving lives as a paramedic. The dad-of-two had worked as a paramedic for Yorkshire Ambulance Service since 2014, during which he had saved a young child's life.
The court heard how Woodruff began drinking heavily after being attacked in Hull city centre in 2019, causing him to fall into a depressive state. He had also received professional care and medical assistance due to concerns surrounding his mental health which also put a strain on his marriage, leading to an obsession with a female colleague he worked with.
However, following the horrific crash, Woodruff told police: "I felt like I was in control. I didn't think I was doing anything dangerous. I wasn't doing anything dangerous on that road, in my opinion."
The paramedic admitted to causing Mr Goodwin's death by dangerous driving and received a sentence of five years and four months. Mr Goodwin's youngest son Oliver, 19, said: "These past months have been the hardest months I have ever had to experience. It has affected me in so many different ways.
"I lie awake thinking of what it must have been like for my Dad. I have dreams that he is still alive. I still send him text messages, knowing that he will never reply."
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