Driver who crashed into motorcycle rider guilty of causing his death

BMW driver who crashed into and killed clubland figure nicknamed ‘Mr Ibiza’ before running into a Tesco to buy vodka is guilty of causing death by dangerous driving

• Daniel Masiulis, 38, killed motorcycle rider Clive Pinnock in Manchester in 2020
• He has now been found guilty at Bolton Crown Court of causing his death

A BMW driver who crashed into and killed a clubland figure nicknamed ‘Mr Ibiza’ before running to a shop to buy vodka has been found guilty of causing death by careless driving.

Daniel Masiulis, 38, from Tameside, was behind the wheel of a BMW 520d when he crashed into motorcycle rider Clive Pinnock in Gorton, Manchester.

Jurors today found Masiulis guilty of causing Mr Pinnock’s death while over the drink-drive limit.

Masiulis was driving in the direction of Manchester city centre when he attempted to turn into the car park of a Tesco Extra shop during the Covid lockdown in April 2020, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Mr Pinnock was travelling in the opposite direction on a green and blue Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R bike and as Masiulis turned, Mr Pinnock hit the vehicle at ‘high speed’ and was thrown into the air off his bike.

Daniel Masiulis (pictured), 38, from Tameside, was behind the wheel of a BMW 520d when he crashed into bike rider Clive Pinnock

Jurors today found Masiulis guilty of causing Mr Pinnock’s (pictured) death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit, by a majority verdict of 10-2

He suffered traumatic brain injuries and a broken neck and pelvis and was pronounced dead later that evening.

Masiulis initially got out of his car and went to Mr Pinnock, however CCTV then showed him jogging away from the scene, with other bystanders going to Mr Pinnock’s side. 

Masiulis then went to a nearby shop and bought some vodka and Coca Cola before ringing police from Compstall Grove, the court heard.

He had 129mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, the legal limit being 80, a blood test revealed. 

However, Masiulis claimed he drank 31cl of vodka after the collision and before the test, the court was told.

Prosecutors said that while it was not disputed that the speed of the motorbike contributed to the collision, a driver driving in a ‘careful and competent manner’ would have seen the other vehicle in time and ‘avoided a collision’. 

Masiulis denied drinking more than two bottles of beer prior to the collision but said he drank after, which placed him over the drink drive limit.

Pictured: The Tesco in Gorton, Manchester, where Mr Pinnock was killed by Daniel Masiulis in April 2020

Prosecuting, David Lees told the jury Masiulis drank as he ‘knew’ he was already over the limit at the time of the crash and wanted to give ‘excuses’ as to why he was. 

When Masiulis’s car was searched, two empty bottles of vodka were found, the court heard.

Masiulis did not go through a red light and was not speeding at the time of the collision, the court heard. However, Mr Lees said he ‘should have had a heightened sense of awareness’ when making the turn into the Tesco.

‘There is no evidence that he saw Clive Pinnock before the collision occurred,’ Mr Lees added. ‘If he was paying proper attention he would have seen Clive Pinnock, there was no other traffic.’

Masiulis, of Baguley Street, Droylsden, denied causing death by careless driving and causing death by careless driving while over the proscribed alcohol limit. He told police he ran to the shop to buy vodka because he was in ‘shock’, adding that he was ‘scared’ about what happened and had never been in an accident before

Giving evidence, Masiulis said he had not seen the motorbike when he made the turn but denied being distracted. He said the first he knew of the bike was when he heard ‘revving’ and the bike struck his car.

After almost 12 hours of deliberations, Judge Tom Gilbart directed jurors that he would accept a majority verdict of 10-2 this morning. Around an hour later, the jury gave its verdict.

Wearing a blue suit and tie as he sat inside the dock, Masiulis was told he would be remanded in custody prior to his sentencing on September 12. His Honour Gilbart said: ‘This is overwhelmingly likely to be met by a custodial sentence. The question is the length of that sentence.’

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