Drink and drug-driver who caused fatal A533 crash jailed

Joshua Eldred will spend at least eight years behind bars after admitting to causing a fatal crash on the A533 in Little Leigh.

Timothy Burgess died at the scene, age 48, while his partner Wendy Wall was left with serious injuries.

Sentencing the 31-year-old at Chester Crown Court on Friday (October 25), Judge Steven Everett said: “Nothing I can say or do can ever begin to compensate for the loss to the family of Timothy Burgess.

“When I sentence, I have to look at what you did on that day.

“Sometimes it is difficult to ignore the huge emotion. A judge doesn’t have to do that.

“I’m entitled to take into account the effect on other people. The effect on a man and his wife. His daughter. His parents. His siblings and other members of their family.”

Northwich resident Joshua Eldred, of no fixed abode (Image: Cheshire Police)

Prosecuting, Frances Willmott explained that on July 18, 2024, Eldred was an hour late for work, having slept in.

At around 9.15am, Eldred, who was driving a Ford Focus, attempted to overtake a white van on the A533 Runcorn Road and collided head-on with a Suzuki being driven by Miss Wall.

Eldred had been travelling at around 65 to 75mph, despite being in a 50mph zone.

Both vehicles ended up in a hedge with all of the occupants trapped in their vehicles.

Police and ambulance attended, with Mr Burgess being pronounced dead at the scene.

Miss Wall suffered fractures to her neck, spine, ribs, a wrist, both thighs, a kneecap, shin, foot and her pelvis.

She also suffered areas of collapse to both lungs, a punctured left lung, internal bleeding in her abdomen and injuries to the blood vessels in her neck which resulted in a stroke to the left side of her brain.

She underwent surgery for her pelvis and blood transfusions for her abdomen before being discharged from hospital two weeks after the crash.

Reading a statement on Miss Wall’s behalf, Ms Willmott said: “I am not just a victim but someone whose life has been utterly destroyed by the reckless acts of another person.

“I now live a life which feels like a prison sentence.

“I am constantly in pain and even the simplest tasks have become monumental challenges.”

Mr Everett added: “Miss Wall suffered the most horrendous physical and psychological injuries someone can without actually dying.”

Meanwhile, blood tests revealed that Eldred had alcohol, cocaine and BZE (the main metabolite of cocaine) in his system – all above the legal limits.

Enquiries later revealed that he had been made multiple short phone calls around the time of the collision.

Ms Willmott added that Eldred was previously convicted of drug-driving in 2021.

Then, just 10 days before the fatal collision, he had crashed into a parked car while intoxicated, again with blood and cocaine metabolites in his system, and had been released on bail.

Defending, Adam Antoszkiw said: “Nothing that is said in the mitigation is done in any way to diminish the seriousness of this matter.

“Through me he expresses his profound remorse for his actions and the grief he has caused.”

He continued, explaining that Eldred was addicted to cocaine at the time of the crash and had ‘no recollection’ of what happened.

Mr Everett sentenced Eldred, of no fixed abode but a Northwich resident, to 12 years, of which he will have to serve at least eight in custody.

He also banned him from driving for a further 10 years upon his release, although Mr Antoszkiw told the court his client has no intention of ever getting behind the wheel again.

“Drugs are an acute scourge of our society,” added Mr Everett.

“I see drug addicts on a regular basis who come before court.

“Usually I see the effect on them physically and see how some of them rob, steal, burgle and commit all sot of offences to get their next fix.

“But now and then I see a case, and yours is that case, where drug addicts cause a rather different and terrible effect on society. When their behaviour is such that it causes a huge danger to members of society.

“To my mind, you were significantly impaired by those drugs and that alcohol.”