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.
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 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."
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.
"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.