Banned drink-driver killed much-loved grandmother, 75, as she came home from the theatre in a taxi at ‘motorway speed’

• Unlicensed driver Dawid Zywicki, 28, was speeding on the wrong side of the road
• He ploughed into a taxi in Glasgow’s Haghill, killing passenger Margaret Pearson
• Zywicki was remanded in custody as sentencing was adjourned until next month

A banned drink-driver has been remanded in custody after killing a much-loved grandmother in a crash as she returned home from the theatre.

Dawid Zywicki already had 15 road traffic convictions when he got behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta van on March 27 last year.

The 28-year-old had been going at speed when he ended up crashing head-on into a private hire taxi in which Margaret Pearson, 75, was a passenger.

She did not survive the crash in Glasgow’s Haghill.

A man fixing his tyre at the side of the road was also hit and badly hurt. Zywicki pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

Unlicensed driver Dawid Zywicki, 28, had been going at speed when he crashed head-on into a taxi carrying passenger Margaret Pearson, 75, in Glasgow’s Haghill on March 27 last year

Prosecutor Gavin Anderson, KC, told the High Court in Glasgow that Mrs Pearson had spent that evening with her friend at the city’s King’s Theatre.

They then shared a taxi home – her friend was dropped off first, leaving the pensioner in the back.

Mr Anderson told the court: ‘The taxi driver saw the headlights of the oncoming van.

READ MORE: DRIVER KILLED GRANDMOTHER, 82, WHILE SPEEDING AT 118MPH 

‘He later described Zywicki’s approach as “being fast, like motorway speed”.’

Zywicki, who has never held a full driving licence and was also not wearing a seatbelt, had gone onto the opposite side of the road before ploughing into the black Mercedes.

This caused the taxi to spin and hit Kevin O’Neill and his Ford Focus. Mr O’Neill, 56, had been trying to repair a puncture.

Emergency crews took the unconscious Mrs Pearson to hospital where it was found she had suffered bleeding around the brain and a spinal fracture. The mother of five and grandmother of seven died on March 31.

Mr O’Neill needed surgery for serious injuries to his left leg and was in hospital for five days.

The court heard Zywicki was found to have not less than 179mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mg. Mr Anderson further explained that Zywicki had been banned from driving in July 2019. 

He added: ‘He has never had a full driving licence. He has held a provisional licence.’

The court heard Zywicki already had two convictions for drink driving, two for getting behind the wheel while already banned, one for dangerous driving and another for careless driving.

He had a further five for having no insurance and a final four for driving without a proper licence.

The part-time painter and decorator was remanded in custody by judge Lord Scott and sentencing was adjourned until next month in Lanark.

A family statement issued through Digby Brown Solicitors said: ‘We are grateful for the acceptance of accountability. However, there is no amount of justice that could comfort us over the loss of Margaret, who was such an important person in our lives.

‘We would like to thank everyone who has supported us but we now politely ask that our privacy is respected as we attempt to move forward in the same way that our wife, mum and gran would have – with love, strength and dignity.’

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