Mr David Zywicki, aged 28, has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving. 

Mr David Zywicki was driving recklessly at excess speeds and collided with a private hire taxi. In this taxi was the driver and Margaret Pearson, 75. She was on the way home from the King’s Theatre in Glasgow. She sustained severe injuries – bleeding round the brain and a spinal fracture. She later died from at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. 

Zywicki also injured a nearby motorist who was fixing the tyre on his vehicle at the side of the road. 

The court heard how on the night of the collision, Zywicki was more than three times the drink driving limit, with 179mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit being 50mg per 100ml. 

Additionally, he has 15 previous convictions for road traffic offences, had been banned from driving since 2019 and had never possessed a full driving license. 

On the night of the incident, the taxi driver describes Zywicki as driving at speeds comparable only to those set on a motor way. The court also heard how Zywicki was not wearing a seat belt and was driving on the wrong side of the road at times. 

Following his conviction, the court deferred sentencing for the preparation of reports. He was remanded in custody while this reports were created. 

At his sentencing diet earlier this week, the Sheriff told Zywicki that given the circumstances and the “significant and lasting’ consequences of his conduct, there was no alternative to custody available. The Sheriff stated that “This is not only to punish you but to deter others from behaving in such a way and to protect the public from you.” 

The sheriff also made reference to the victim impact stamens where Margarets family described their heartache and it was stated that “The continue to suffer due to the trauma caused to them by you.”

A contributing factor to his final sentence would have been the lack of remorse shown. The prepared reports told the court that Zywicki has not yet accepted responsibility for his conduct. This is despite the fact that he pled guilty to a charge of causing death and serious injury.