Anya Foster jailed over death of David Burrows after crash

Pilkington worker David Burrows, from Blackbrook, was riding a pedal bike on Islands Brow, close to its junction with Hinckley Road, on the morning of December 1 last year.

However, he was hit by a beige Skoda Fabia driven by Anya Foster and left injured in the road as she drove off from the scene.

Mr Burrows was taken to hospital for treatment, but the 59-year-old died from his injuries.

David Burrows  (Image: Merseyside Police) In August, Foster, aged 32 and of Gloucester Street in Parr, was charged in connection with the incident. Police charged her with causing death by driving without due care and attention while over the specified limit for drugs.

The drugs found in her blood were namely benzoylecgonine and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main metabolite of cocaine and psychoactive constituent of cannabis respectively.

Anya Foster has been jailed (Image: Merseyside Police)

She was also charged with failing to stop after an accident, failing to report an accident, drug driving and driving while unfit through drugs.

Foster appeared before Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Tuesday, where she entered guilty pleas to all charges.

The court proceeded to sentence her, with prosecutor Arthur Gibson explaining that on December 1, shortly after 6am, two women from St Helens Careline were driving on their way to a callout for a vulnerable person in need of assistance.

While on Island Brow, a single-lane, 30mph road which was well-lit with LED streetlights, they saw a high-visibility jacket in the gutter, and a bike frame on the pavement.

It was a foggy morning with icy patches, and parked cars they passed had their windows iced over.

They stopped the car and reversed, and they were shocked to find it was not just a discarded jacket, but a human, unconscious by the side of the road.

They immediately called an ambulance, while a passing taxi driver also stopped and gave first aid before the man was taken to hospital.

A passing cyclist also stopped and was able to recognise the man as Mr Burrows.

The court heard how he was wearing a high-visibility jacket with fluorescent strips, while his bike had working lights to the front and rear.

Mr Burrows was rushed to hospital and placed on life support, but sadly he never recovered and died that same day, suffering ‘catastrophic’ injuries including a fractured neck and brain haemorrhage.

Merseyside Police officers investigating the scene located debris from a Skoda Fabia and issued a public appeal for information on social media.

The scene of the collision at Islands Brow 

The court heard that, following a news report in the St Helens Star, the force received an anonymous phone call revealing the vehicle involved, its present location and the driver.

At 2pm, police attended Foster’s Parr home, where the Skoda Fabia involved in the accident was found, parked up close to the property to hide significant damage to the front and windscreen.

When asked, Foster confirmed that she had been in a crash with a cyclist, but lied by claiming that she stopped straight away, and that Mr Burrows denied her offer to call an ambulance.

She also lied about her drug consumption, claiming to have ‘smoked a spliff’ of cannabis afterwards to ‘calm her nerves’ and consumed cocaine days before.

Roadside and subsequent blood tests confirmed the presence of both drugs in her system, with the level of cocaine – around 12 hours after the crash – being five times the limit.

After being taken to St Anne Street Police Station in Liverpool, she was interviewed under caution at 10pm, where she told more lies.

She claimed that she was travelling to pick her sister up from work at 5.20am, which she said she did on a regular basis, and had fully de-iced her window before leaving, allowing 10 minutes for the car to warm up.

Foster was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Stock)

It was said that the first she knew of the collision was hearing a ‘loud bang’, before panicking and driving off, pulling over on Grasmere Avenue in Haresfinch and letting her sister know she could no longer pick her up.

She claimed that the cyclist she hit did not have lights on, and that she did not see him.

On her drug use, Foster said she smoked cannabis a couple of times a week to ease here ‘severe back pain’ and used cocaine on a monthly basis with friends, but that she could go months without using it and that she did not use it the night before the crash.

“The police investigation revealed that most, if not all, that she told the police in her interview was simply untrue,” Mr Gibson said.

CCTV recovered showed that she did not properly de-ice her car, with her side windows obscured by frost, nor did she wait 10 minutes for the car to fully defrost.

More CCTV also showed Mr Burrows in his reflective high-visibility jacket, and with working lights on his bike, with Mr Gibson stating: “He was clearly there to be seen.”

A phone expert was also able to use GPS data to prove that she was not travelling at the speed limit at the time, or the 35mph as she claimed – but closer to 41mph at the point of collision.

Moreover, she had not informed her sister about not picking her up. In fact, this was never planned, and she was actually travelling to meet a man and was running late.

Foster also took a ‘circuitous’ route home, which the prosecution claimed was to avoid emergency vehicles potentially being on the route and spotting the substantial damage to her car.

When she arrived home, she even phoned her brother asking about how to fix her damaged windscreen, and he urged her to call the police, but she did not.

A police cordon on Islands Brow last December (Image: St Helens Star)

The court heard an impact statement from Paul Burrows, Mr Burrows’ brother, who said: “How can something like this happen and David be left at the side of the road?

“The person responsible did not have the decency to stop. This is wholly unbelievable and unforgettable.”

Stephen Burrows, also his brother, wrote: “I cannot put it into words. My world has been turned upside down. I did not just lose my big brother, but my life-long best friend.

“We did everything together, even going to the supermarket. I will never be able to invite him around again for a cup of tea.

“I do not know if I will ever learn to live with his death. A piece of me died that day forever.”

His niece Amelia wrote: “I do not know how I am going to live without my Uncle David. I had 18 years of pure joy with him before he was ripped away.”

Mr Gibson revealed that Foster has two unrelated previous convictions as a juvenile and had a clean driving licence at the time of the incident.

Mitigating on behalf of the defendant, and addressing her failure to stop, Foster’s barrister said: “This is a young woman who was in shock by the collision and acted in an abundance of panic in an alien set of circumstances.

“When asked by the court if she indicated whether or not she would be pleading guilty and accepting full responsibility, she confirmed that she would be.

“She has expressed genuine remorse, and she completely understands what she has taken away from the deceased’s family. She can only say she is genuinely sorry for that.”

The mother of three young children told the Probation Service that she wished her life had been taken and not that of Mr Burrows, the court was told.

Foster showed a 'callous disregard for life'

Before sentencing, judge Louise Brandon said: “On December 1 last year, lives were changed forever, when David Burrows lost his life while cycling to work on his bike.

“He did not make it to work, as you showed a callous disregard for his life when you left him on the road for others to find.

“David Burrows died aged 59 – a tragedy that words cannot describe.

“I have listened and read with heartfelt sympathy the family impact statements. Their grief is profound, and I cannot image how they must have felt today, sat in dignified silence listening to details of appalling driving by someone who should not have been behind the wheel that day.

“No sentence I can impose today can in any way ease the pain caused by David’s loss, and the impact on his family and friends.

“Their dignity is in stark contrast to your cowardly actions. Rather than stop, you made off knowing full well what you had done and laid low. You were arrested, and the lies continued.”

Foster was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison, of which she will serve no more than half before being released on licence.

She was also disqualified from driving for 11 years and four months, after which she must pass an extended driving test before getting behind the wheel again.

In a tribute issued following Mr Burrow’s death, his family said: “David was a kind and loving person who loved his family, friends, music, biking and Pilkington, where he was cherished.

“As a family, we are devastated and heartbroken by his loss. We are going to leave your chair empty for you on Christmas Day our Dave.

“David leaves behind his brothers Stephen and Paul, his niece Amelia, his sister-in-law Amy and Margie, and he cherished Sam and her cakes.

“The family would like to thank Pilkington NSG for their amazing and continued support to his family. Pilkington was David’s world and all of his work colleagues.

"He was amazing and so, so loved and will be forever missed. God bless you our brother xx.”

DS Simon Duffy, from Merseyside Police’s serious collision investigation unit, added: “Foster’s reckless and selfish driving resulted in the death of an innocent man while he was riding to work, completely devastating his family.

“Not only did Foster cause the crash, but rather than stop at the scene to help David and face the consequences of her actions, she chose to flee and began to weave a web of lies.

“Our investigation proved that Foster attempted to mislead officers at multiple stages.

“We have worked tirelessly to establish the full facts, and Foster has now been held accountable for her actions.

“Our thoughts remain firmly with David’s family and friends as they continue to deal with the devastating outcome of this heartbreaking incident every day.

“The sentencing comes as Merseyside Police prepares for its annual drink and drug driving campaign, Operation Limit.

“The operation will see dedicated patrols focusing on removing selfish drivers from our roads who choose to drink alcohol or take drugs before getting behind the wheel.

“My message to those who choose to drive whilst under the influence is this.

“You are not only putting your own life and your own future at risk, but also the lives of innocent people. Is it really worth risking your own life and the lives others?”