‘Sickening’ drunk driver jailed for 17 years after fatal road collision in Manchester
"Selfless and kind-hearted" Louis Dube lost his life when a man drove under the influence of drink at drugs at speeds of 60 mph on a 30 mph-limit road.
A man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for death by dangerous driving after a fatal road collision in Gorton.
35-year-old Ryan McElroy, from Chadderton in Oldham, was previously charged with several counts of dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified, before he was sentenced to 17 years in prison and further disqualified from driving for 12 and a half years after pleading guilty to Death by Dangerous Driving at Manchester Crown Court yesterday.
McElroy’s “sickening and appalling” driving under the influence of drink and drugs resulted in the death of 25-year-old Louis Dube following a fatal road collision.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to a serious collision on Mount Road in Gorton on Monday 5 December 2022 at around 11:30pm, where it was eventually established that a silver Vauxhall Crossland was being driven by McElory at speeds of up to 60 mph on a 30 mph-limit road.
McElory’s vehicle collided into the driver’s side of a black Vauxhall insignia.
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The Vauxhall insignia – containing two occupants, one of whom was Louis Dube – was attempting to turn in the road when their car was suddenly struck by the reckless driver, GMP confirmed.
25-year-old Louis Dube was killed in the fatal road collision / Credit: GMP
Emergency services later attended the scene, and all three people involved in the collision were taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries.
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After suffering serious injuries in the collision, Louis Dube – who was described as “selfless and kind-hearted” – passed away on Thursday 8 December 2022, despite the best attempts of emergency services personnel.
The driver of the vehicle Louis was a passenger in was confirmed by GMP to be a 30-year-old woman, who was Louis’ friend, and also sustained serious injuries during the collision, which she continues to recover from.
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McElory sustained minor injuries, but was arrested at the scene immediately following the incident and subsequently charged and remanded into custody.
GMP has released shocking footage of McElory’s “reckless” movements under the influence of alcohol and drugs, before he made the decision to get behind the wheel of the vehicle on the evening of Monday 5 December 2022.
#JAILED | Man sentenced to 17 years in prison for death by dangerous driving after a fatal road collision in #Gorton.
Speaking after the sentencing, and urging the public to “think before you drive”, Chief Inspector Ronald Neilson, of GMP Specialist Operations team, said: “My thoughts are of course with Louis’s family and loved ones at the difficult and saddening time, and I truly hope that the sentencing of Ryan McElroy brings your family and loved ones some form of closure.
“Ryan McElroy’s actions that evening was appalling and sickening. He knowingly and willingly chose to drive his car that evening whilst intoxicated on drugs and alcohol, and he showed absolutely no regard for the law or other road users that evening.
“Sadly, Louis was caught in the crossfire of his shameful actions and now we have lost another life to reckless driving.”
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CI Neilson continued: “I would urge the public to please think before you drive.
“Think not only of yourself, but your family, your friends, your loved ones and most importantly think about other people who you could hurt, who’s lives you could change if you drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“Do not be complacent, do not drive if you have taken anything or drank alcohol.
Leave plenty of time before you drive, because it might just cost you your life in prison or your life completely.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
10th February 2023 
