Driver tried to blame his girlfriend for ‘catastrophic’ crash after teenage boy’s death | United Kingdom | News

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Matthew Ellson first tried to blame his girlfriend for causing a fatal accident that resulted in the death of a teenage girl. Ellson, 20, claimed his girlfriend Layla Grice grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat and “pulled it towards the truck”. The ‘catastrophic’ case resulted in the death of 18-year-old Francesca Bugliarello, who was a passenger in the back of the car.

Ms Grice was first arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before Ellson finally admitted to causing death by dangerous driving on the day her trial opened at Chester Crown Court.

Ellson was driving his Vauxhall Corsa when his car collided with a truck parked in a parking lot on the Haslington Bypass on June 13, 2020.

Ellson was castigated by Judge Steen Everett for his “cowardice” as he received a suspended sentence.

The court heard that Layla and Frankie and third passenger Caitlin Shorrock were close friends and agreed that Ellson would drive them home after a party.

Owen Edwards, prosecuting, said: “There was music and laughter in the car, but she didn’t know she had a few minutes to live.”

En route to a takeaway in Crewe, Ellson decided to overtake a car on single carriageway.

Mr Edwards said Ellson was driving at 60mph.

He added that when the accused pulled into the correct lane, the car “swerved from side to side” and eventually lost control, with the rear of the vehicle colliding with the truck parked.

Francesca and Caitlin were thrown from the car on impact.

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Mr Edwards told the court a witness driving behind Ellson and the red Peugeot stopped at the scene and said the defendant told him: ‘I killed her, I killed her’.

After his arrest, Ellson told police he thought “the road was wider than it was”.

Mr Edwards said Ellson later told Layla, who he split from shortly after the crash, to ‘be brief’ when speaking to police before changing his account to say that she had pulled the steering wheel towards the truck.

The court heard that Ellson had finally ‘realized the seriousness of what he had done’ and that Layla was ‘totally blameless’.

Ellson has already had two speeding tickets, one six months prior and the other in 2022.

Mr Edwards concluded: ‘The collision occurred because a relatively inexperienced driver took his eyes off the road, oversteered and lost control, resulting in a fatal collision.’

Mitigating Mark Connor told court Ellson ‘would rather have lost his life’

Judge Everett, who handed down the sentence, said: ‘Nothing I can say or do can even begin to come near me or anywhere to make up for the tragic loss of a woman who had everything to live for. .

“It had a devastating effect on his 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 suffered on her arm. What can a judge do to compensate? It is simply not possible.

“But let’s be clear, this terrible, terrible accident ruined so many lives. These are horrible things to listen to, but even more horrible things to go through.”

Ellson was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 270 hours of unpaid work and must meet the 20-day rehabilitative activity requirement. He was also given a six-month electronically monitored curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. and a three-year driving ban.

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