Paul Barrett, 42, of White Road, Mere, appeared today (31/1) at Winchester Crown Court. At a previous hearing, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Barrett was driving a Volkswagen Touran along the B3089 Hindon Road in Dinton on the evening of December 22, 2021, when he noticed motorcyclist Ryan Brindley riding alone in the opposite direction.

Barrett entered a side road and then continued in the opposite direction, following Ryan and accelerating at high speed to catch him before colliding with the rear of the bike, causing it to roll along the road and Ryan to fall off onto the ground. Ryan was tragically declared dead at the scene.

Barrett was arrested and taken to the hospital for evaluation before being arrested by police.

Today, dash cam footage from Barrett’s vehicle showing the moment of impact was shown in court.

The killing of Ryan Brindley was an entirely random and unprovoked incident that has understandably caused shock and upset to the local community and all those who knew and loved Ryan,” said Detective Chief Inspector Simon Childe of the Major Crime Investigation Team.

The dash cam footage shows Barrett driving up and down roads in Dinton before spotting Ryan riding his motorbike alone, and then turning his vehicle and reaching speeds of up to 80mph in a 30mph zone in order to catch up with him and knock him from his bike. We don’t think they knew each other or had ever interacted. Ryan appears to have been chosen at random.

I would like to pay tribute to Ryan’s family who have suffered such a devastating loss, and thank them for the support they have shown during the police investigation. Ryan was taken from them in the most heartbreaking of circumstances, and my thoughts are with them during this extremely difficult time.

“I’d also like to thank the investigation team, who worked tirelessly on this case to ensure justice was served as quickly as possible.”

“Ryan was a beautiful human being – he will be missed by so many,” Ryan’s partner said in a victim impact statement. He was a deeply private man, and while I understand that many people want to read and understand what happened, I would like to ask that everyone, including the media, respect Ryan’s remaining family and their privacy. I’m sure Ryan despises all of the attention this case has gotten.

“I’d like to thank the police for their assistance and investigation up until today. I want to thank the investigation team for always being kind, gentle, and understanding with us, and I want to say thank you because we would not be here today if it weren’t for the investigation team’s work.