A Wiltshire man has been given a hospital order after deliberately driving into and killing a motorcyclist, just days after telling mental health professionals that he "needed to be institutionalised".

Paul Barrett, 43, of Mere, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday, January 31, after pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. 

He was given a hospital order under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

The motorcyclist was Ryan Brindley, a 43-year-old father of one and stepfather of two. He was killed instantly in the crash on the B3089 Hindon Road, in Dinton, shortly before 7.30pm on December 22, 2021.

On the evening in question, Barrett had left an address in Mere, driving a Volkswagen Touran, to apparently travel to Wilton for a pre-arranged appointment.

However, dash cam footage, which was shown in court at the request of Mr Brindley's father, Clive, showed him driving through the village of Dinton several times, reaching speeds of up to 80mph despite it being a 30mph zone.

Warning: The following video contains distressing footage.

He then saw Mr Brindley coming in the opposite direction, so turned around and followed him, driving at high speed to catch him up.

Barrett then deliberately collided with the rear of the motorcycle, carrying it along the road and causing Mr Brindley to fall off onto the ground. Mr Brindley died "instantaneously". 

Mr Brindley’s partner paid tribute to him in her victim impact statement.

She said: “Ryan was a beautiful human being and he will be missed by so many.

"He was a deeply private man and although I understand there are many people who want to read and understand what happened, I would like to request that everybody, including the media, are respectful of Ryan’s remaining family and their privacy. I know that Ryan would be hating all the attention this case has brought.

“I would like to thank the police for their support and investigation all the way up to today. I want to thank the investigation team for being kind, gentle and understanding with us at every point, and I want to say thank you as we would not be here today if it wasn’t for the work of the investigation team.”

Police found Barrett at the scene, who said to them: "I think I have killed him, haven't I?"

The pair are not believed to have known each other.

Findings from the car showed that Barrett's accelerator was fully depressed at the time of impact. 

"Some distance" down the road they found Mr Brindley, already dead, and his motorbike was embedded in the front of Barrett's car.

The court heard how Barrett suffered several mental health problems, including psychotic breaks, paranoia, and deep depression, for which he had been seeking treatment. 

The defence lawyer said these mental health issues led to an "abnormality of mental functioning", preventing him from making "rational decisions".

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

“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 cruellest of circumstances and my thoughts remain with them at this extremely difficult time.

“I would also like to pay tribute to the investigation team who have worked diligently on this case to ensure justice was served as swiftly as possible.”