A driver who killed his passenger - who was due to study social care at the University of Nottingham - caused a "lifetime of pain" in just a split second, a court heard. Matthew Ellson, 20, was behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Corsa when he "took his eye off the road", causing the car to collide with a lorry parked in a layby at around 12.30am on June 13, 2020, reports Cheshire Live.
Francesca Bugliarello, known as Frankie, was a passenger in the back of the car and died at the scene at Haslington Bypass, between Sandbach and Crewe. The 18-year-old, from Sandbach, had secured a place to study at the University of Nottingham.
Also travelling in the vehicle was Caitlin Shorrock, who sustained serious injuries to her arm, and Ellson's girlfriend at the time, Layla Grice, who he went on to falsely claim grabbed the steering wheel and "pulled it towards the lorry" resulting in her being arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Ellson, of Church Lane, Wistaton, near Crewe, finally admitted causing death by careless driving last month.
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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 packed courtroom 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.
Francesca (Frankie) Bugliarello (Image: Cheshire Police)
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 in to 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 "safely 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, with both their seatbelts "destroyed". 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. "He falsely tried to blame her," said Mr Edwards. "She wasn't able to go to the funeral or directly mourn the loss of her friend."
The court heard 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". Ellson accepted this, the court heard.
The court also heard that Ellson had committed two speeding offences - one six months prior to the crash and another in 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, mitigating, told the court 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."
Mr Connor referred to character references which described his client as "well liked" and "extremely hard working".
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"
"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.
"We can only do our best to deal with a case according to the law. I recognise those who have written genuine, heartfelt, truthful statements will feel in a certain way. One can understand why they have certain feelings. I hope they genuinely understand the court must sentence in accordance with the law.
"If I don't, I may as well give up being a judge because I'm not doing what I should. 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.
"Some might say it was inevitable at some stage you would have a collision"
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."
Judge Everett then commented on Ellson having two sides to his character - one where he had been "burying his head in the sand" and "keeping everyone waiting", and another where in references to the court he was described as a hard worker.
He concluded: "I'm not plucking this sentence out of thin air. This has been a most difficult and challenging sentence. I recognise there will be a lot of people not happy with this but it is following the law".
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. Additionally, he is now on a six-month curfew between set hours, and banned from the roads for three-years, with an extended retest requirement if he plans to drive again.
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