Man sentenced following fatal collision in Haslington

A man who pleaded guilty to causing a fatal collision on the A534 Haslington Bypass has been sentenced.

Matthew Ellson pleaded guilty to death by Careless driving on Tuesday 6 December.

The 20-year-old of Church Lane, Wistaston, returned to court on Monday 16 January, where he was sentenced to 10 month in prison, suspended for 24 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for three years and must undertake 20 days of rehabilitation activities, as well as 270 hours of unpaid work.

In addition, Ellson was handed a six-month curfew between the hours of 8pm and 5am.

The charge relates to a collision that occurred at around 12.21am on Saturday 13 June 2020 on the A534 Haslington Bypass.

Ellson was driving a black Corsa towards Crewe when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a HGV lorry which was parked in a near layby.

There were also three passengers travelling in the vehicle at the time of the collision, including Francesca Bugliarello.

Sadly as a result of the collision, Francesca suffered fatal injuries.

Following the sentencing, Sergeant Andrew Dennison said: “This was a tragic but entirely preventable collision which demonstrates why it is essential that all motorists give their full attention when driving.

“While Ellson eventually admitted his guilt in court, throughout this investigation he lied to save his own skin.

“At one point, he even tried to blame his girlfriend who was subsequently arrested in relation to the incident. This has had a lasting impact on her mental health.

“Thankfully, as a result of our investigation, we were able to prove that the blame lay solely with Ellson and he had no choice but to plead guilty.

“Ellson’s contemptible actions following this collision have prolonged the agony of Francesca’s family who have had to wait two and a half years for some sort of closure. I cannot imagine the pain they went through and are still going through. I hope that his conviction will at least bring some comfort to them in this difficult time."