A man who 'took his eye off the road' moments before a 'catastrophic' crash that resulted in the tragic death of an 18-year-old girl tried to blame his own girlfriend in a desperate bid to evade the law.
Matthew Ellson, 20, was behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Corsa when his car collided with a lorry parked in a layby on the Haslington Bypass at around 12.30am on June 13, 2020. 18-year-old Francesca Bugliarello, known as Frankie, from Sandbach, was a passenger in the back of the car and died in the crash.
Ellson initially tried to blame his girlfriend Layla Grice, a passenger in the car, falsely claiming that she grabbed the steering wheel and 'pulled it towards the lorry'. She was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before Ellson, of Church Lane, Wistaton, finally admitted causing death by careless driving last month on what was due to be the first day of his trial, CheshireLive reports.
Also travelling in the vehicle was Caitlin Shorrock, who sustained serious injuries to her arm, and Layla Grice. Ellson was handed a suspended sentence on Monday (January 16) at Chester Crown Court where he was blasted by Judge Steven Everett for his 'cowardice' in not taking responsibility for the fatal crash and 'prolonging the agony' of the victims involved.
Judge Everett told the courtroom that he recognised a lot of people would be unhappy with the sentence passed, but he was following the 'relevant guidelines' which include having to take into account that the defendant was aged 17 when the collision happened.
Powerful victim impact statements from Francesca's heartbroken parents were heard in court, with her mum saying: "I will live with this for the rest of my life". Emotional statements were also written by her sister Olivia, boyfriend Cameron Newton, Layla Grice and Caitlyn Shorrock.
'There was music and laughter - little did she know she had minutes to live'
Owen Edwards, prosecuting, told the court that Francesca, Caitlin and Layla were all close friends and that it had been agreed in advance that Ellson would drive them home from a party. He said: "There was music and laughter in the car but little did she know she had minutes to live."
It had been decided that they would drive to a takeaway in Crewe. On the bypass - a single carriageway road - Ellson overtook a red Peugeot driving at around 45-50mph. Mr Edwards said Ellson was driving at a speed of 60mph. He said that as the defendant pulled back into the correct lane the car was 'swerving from side to side' and eventually spun out of control with back end of the vehicle colliding with the parked lorry.
The court heard that the collision had a 'catastrophic' impact on the Corsa and both Francesca and Caitlin were thrown out of the car. Mr Edwards told the court that a witness driving behind Ellson and the red Peugeot stopped at the scene and said the defendant told him: "I've killed her, I've killed her".
Ellson was arrested and initially said after overtaking the car in front he had put his full beam on and thought he had more time "to look at my dashboard" to check it was on. He also added: "I thought the road was wider than what it was."
Mr Edwards said Ellson later told Layla, with whom he split a short time after the crash, 'to be brief' when speaking to the police before changing his account to claim that she had pulled the steering wheel towards the lorry.
The court heard that Ellson eventually 'realised the severity of what he'd done' and Layla was 'totally blameless'. Layla had actually recalled an incident a couple of weeks before the fatal collision in which Ellson had overtaken two cars, including one driven by Francesca, stopped and then driven the wrong way on the roundabout 'to show off'.
The court also heard that Ellson had committed two speeding offences - one six months prior to the crash and another during 2022. At the time of the fatal collision, the defendant was not under the influence of alcohol or driving over the speed limit, the hearing was told.
Mr Edwards concluded: "The collision occurred because a relatively inexperienced driver took his eye off the road, oversteered and lost control, leading to a fatal collision."
Mark Connor, defending, told the court that his client had written a letter of apology to Francesca's parents and that a pre-sentence report had shown that he had 'genuine remorse' He added: "He would have preferred to have lost his own life. His attempts to blame Ms Grice were wholly wrong - something he regrets.
"These errors in his decision making process were not a calculated plan but his inability to confront the enormity of the situation - taking responsibility for Francesca's death. He should have pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. It was not a wicked piece of driving, at the very least a careless piece of driving."
'This terrible crash has ruined so many lives'
In sentencing Ellson, Judge Everett said: "Nothing I can say or do can even begin to go near or anywhere to compensating for the tragic loss of a woman who had everything to live for.
"This has had a devastating effect on her family and friends. And it's not just Frankie. Nothing I can do can compensate for the devastating effect on Caitlin's family and the terrible injuries she sustained to her arm. What can a judge do to compensate? It's just not possible.
"But let's be clear this terrible, terrible crash has ruined so many lives. They are awful things to have to listen to but rather more awful to have to go through.
"I still have to sentence you, Matthew Ellson, to the relevant guidelines. You blamed someone else and took a long time to admit what you did. Your momentary inattention - a matter of a split second - caused a lifetime of pain. It's difficult to look at your apology with any great enthusiasm. It would have had much greater effect had it come within a week or two of the crash itself."
In relation to the speeding offence last year, the judge added: "You haven't learnt very much have you? Some might say it was inevitable at some stage you would have a collision."
Ellson was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work and must adhere to 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement. He was also given a six-month electronically monitored curfew between the hours of 8pm and 5am, and banned from driving for three years.
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