Family release harrowing footage showing the moment pensioner is mown down and killed by drug driver - as killer is jailed for just three years

Published: 23:17, 21 August 2026 | Updated: 23:19, 21 August 2026 The family of a pensioner mowed down and killed by a drug driver in Kent have released footage of the tragic incident - as his killer is jailed for just three years.  Michael Piper, 79, was left fatally injured after 30-year-old Jamie Sutton - who was under the influence of cannabis - struck him as he crossed a road in Cliftonville, near Margate, in April 2024.  Sutton, who was driving a grey Audi S3, was travelling at almost 40mph in a 30mph zone when he collided with Mr Piper outside Cliffs coffee shop, seeing the pensioner sustain multiple serious injuries, including numerous fractures.  Father-of-two Sutton, who was 27 at the time, was arrested at the scene. Mr Piper, a retired airport worker, was airlifted to London's King's College Hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed in an induced coma.  He was eventually discharged; however, ultimately died at the QEQM Hospital in Margate on February 8 last year from complications related to his injuries.  On Wednesday, August 19, Sutton, of Northdown Road, Kent, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison at Canterbury Crown Court, after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving and drug driving.  He was also banned from driving for five years.  Michael Piper was left fatally injured after he was struck down by a vehicle he crossed a road in Cliftonville, near Margate, in April 2024 Mr Piper had to be airlifted to hospital following the collision, where he underwent surgery and was placed in an induced coma Mr Piper was struck by an Audi S3 driven by Jamie Sutton, who was travelling at almost 40mph in a 30mph zone Now, Mr Piper's 'disgusted' family have chosen to release the tragic CCTV footage of the collision, intending to highlight the 'lenient' sentence handed to Sutton that could see him walk free within 18 months.  The footage, shown in court, shows how the impact from the crash forced Mr Piper onto Sutton's windscreen and 'cartwheeled' him into the air, before he landed on the car's bonnet and slid down onto the road.  Mr Piper, who was described as previously fit, healthy and living independently, was left effectively bed-bound from his injuries and was admitted to hospital on numerous occasions before dying 10 months later.   Ann Mabb, Mr Piper's sister, said her family are now seeking to refer the sentence to the Attorney General. She said: 'We are disgusted, it's terrible. He should have got six years, 10 years, not three-and-a-half. 'It's better than nothing, but [for] two-and-a-half years we have waited for this.' The tragic incident happened when Mr Piper, who lived in nearby Turner Heights, was crossing Northdown Road shortly after 11am on April 18, 2024.  Prosecutor Peter Forbes explained how the collision occurred outside Cliffs coffee shop in a 30mph limit area. Jamie Sutton (pictured) was under the influence of cannabis when he collided with Mr Piper as the pensioner crossed a road Sutton, who was working two minutes away and on his way to buy lunch, was just a short distance from home.   The road was busy with traffic and pedestrians, and a van travelling in the oncoming lane had stopped to allow a shopper to cross. However, a pedestrian was already halfway in the road when forced to stop and wait for Sutton to drive past. It was then Sutton careered into Mr Piper, who could be seen on camera looking both ways before stepping from the pavement a little way behind the stationary van. A member of the public later told authorities they heard a loud thud followed by screeching of tyres, and saw a newspaper fly into the air. With Mr Piper having landed in front of the vehicle, Sutton got out and was seen on the pavement, holding his head in his hands and repeatedly saying 'Oh my God'. The emergency services attended and Sutton told police at the scene he had been driving 'normally' at 30mph when the victim 'walked straight across' behind the van without looking. Sutton gave a negative breath test for alcohol and, initially, for drugs. He also passed an impairment test. Sutton initially denied causing serious injury by careless driving However, after what was described as 'a faint line' developing in the two drug saliva tests, a sample of blood was given almost 12 hours later. It gave a reading of 2.7micrograms of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the active stimulant of cannabis - when the prescribed limit for driving is 2mcg. Although Sutton told police he did not use cannabis himself but was often around those who did, it was conceded in court by his lawyer Max Reeves that, at the time, he did smoke it 'socially at weekends'. The prosecutor also informed the hearing that despite Sutton's claims about how the collision occurred, none of the victim's actions were significant contributors. Mr Piper sustained fractures to his head, legs, pelvis, neck, spine, nose and eye socket, as well as a traumatic brain injury. He also suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving at hospital as a consequence of his injuries and physiological stress, and which developed into cardiac failure. Other resulting complex and protracted health conditions, including an acute kidney injury, infected pressure sore, and bacteria in his blood, meant he became 'increasingly fragile' up until his death. He passed away at the QEQM Hospital in Margate on February 8 last year. Mr Piper, who was initially discharged, passed away at the QEQM Hospital in Margate on February 8 last year A pathologist subsequently concluded that the collision marked 'a stark turning point' for Mr Piper's health and led directly to his deterioration and demise. In September, he told police from his hospital bed that although he had little recollection of the impact itself, he could remember looking both ways and, as the traffic on either side looked 'backed up', he crossed over Of the consequences, the keen fisherman said: 'My life really came to a dead stop. I'm very annoyed that such a simple incident has led to this.' The court heard how Sutton initially denied causing serious injury by careless driving as well as a separate drug-driving offence and faced trial in November last year. When that was superseded by Mr Piper's death, Sutton indicated he would plead guilty to the careless driving charge alone. Then, at a subsequent hearing in October after the pathologist's report had been served, he admitted both offences. However, it was not until the sentencing hearing on August 19 that he was arraigned on the more serious charge. Mr Reeves, defending, told the court although there was no evidence that Sutton's driving was prolonged, aggressive or substantially impaired, it was accepted he should have reduced his speed. Sutton was sentenced to six years in jail at Canterbury Crown Court He also highlighted that the level of THC was close to the statutory limit and that, having stopped at the scene immediately, he did not seek to evade responsibility. 'It was a brief episode of careless driving with dreadful consequences,' he added. 'He takes full responsibility and does not seek to minimise or justify his actions.' Mr Reeves also explained how Sutton no longer used the class B drug and had struggled with his mental health since the collision. Passing sentence, Judge James remarked that as with all such offences of this nature there were 'no winners, only losers'. He added it was necessary to 'take a step back' and apply the relevant sentencing guidelines 'with a degree of what some might consider detachment, rather than permitting the understandable emotions surrounding this tragic case to dictate my conclusions'. He also acknowledged Mr Piper was 'full of life and enjoying a full, fulfilling and independent' retirement until that day, and thereafter endured 'a prolonged period of significant pain and suffering'. He said: 'No sentence that I can impose within these guidelines is likely to provide much comfort or compensation for the tragic and untimely loss of a much-loved brother, friend and uncle. 'Additionally, it gives me no pleasure to have to sentence a hard-working father of effective good character for the tragic consequences of something he neither planned nor intended to happen.' But, in detailing the circumstances of the incident, Judge James told Sutton: 'You were driving at least 10 miles an hour in excess of the speed limit just before the collision and failed to slow or indeed take any account of the prevailing busy conditions on a street bordered by shops. 'In particular, appeared to have little or no regard to the presence of pedestrians and the parked and other vehicles which had stopped to allow people to cross the road.' He also said while there was no direct evidence of substantial impairment and excessive speed was 'likely the major contributory feature' that led to the pensioner's death, the fact Sutton was above the drug-drive limit was 'not simply an aggravating feature', but one which obliged the court to punish him in accordance with more stringent sentencing guidelines. Judge James also remarked it could not be 'properly argued' Mr Piper's actions substantially contributed to his death. He said: 'While others had appropriately moderated their speed and taken action to take account of the road conditions, you patently failed to have any appropriate regard to the prevailing circumstances. 'In such circumstances, considering that your decisions, omissions and conduct have led to a loss of life, I am forced to the conclusion that your offending is simply too serious to justify anything other than an immediate sentence of imprisonment.' Mrs Mabb also provided a victim impact statement whereby she described her brother as 'very kind and thoughtful', who was 'out and about all the time' and loved spending time with family. But she said the incident 'completely changed his life' and he 'became a different person' from the 'happy, independent and loving' man he had once been. Even his 80th birthday had to be spent in hospital before, as she described it, he 'finally gave up' and died. Close friend Stephen Dawson added Mr Piper was 'the kindest man you could ever meet who would go all out to help you if he could' and was 'enjoying life to the full' until that morning. Addressing Sutton directly in his statement, he wrote: 'He was completely independent until you got into your car full of that stuff, ploughed into him and took his life away. 'It was heartbreaking watching him deteriorate. That day you got in your car, drove like a maniac and knocked down a lovely man who had at least 10 to 15 years of life left to enjoy the things he liked to do. 'You took that away from him. He suffered until the day he died. He was left with no dignity. 'You did that and I can never forgive you. I hope you feel guilty for the rest of your life.'