The best friends paid the ‘ultimate price’ after traveling to the Cheshire Oaks

Two best friends paid the ‘ultimate price’ after traveling to the Cheshire Oaks.

Ellie Crossley, from Holywell, and Rebecca Doughty, from Connah’s Quay, both in North Wales, were driving home in a silver Citroen on the A5117, off Parkgate Road, near Capenhurst, on Thursday, November 25, 2021, when they were involved in – an accident with a BMW.

Emergency services were called at 9.28pm and on arrival officers found there had been a crash between a blue BMW and a silver Citroen. Tragically, the two 20-year-olds were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Benjamin Lewis was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, May 8, for causing the deaths of Ellie and Rebecca. The court heard how at around 9.30pm Lewis was driving at speeds of up to 148km/h in a 100km/h zone on the A5117 in Dunkirk when he lost control of his BMW 420D.

He crashed into an oncoming Citroen DS3. The driver of the Citroen, Ellie Crossley, was traveling to Cheshire Oaks with her friend Rebecca Doughty, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

As part of Cheshire Police’s investigations, a forensic collision investigator has been employed to reconstruct the accident and the events leading up to it in order to establish the circumstances. This identified the BMW as crossing the double solid white lines and entering the opposite lane when it crashed into the oncoming Citroen.

Lewis was arrested and later charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He initially pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of death by careless driving, however the prosecution declined to accept his guilty plea and a trial was listed for September 2023.

He later changed his guilty pleas to the more serious charge of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. The 31-year-old, from West Vale, Neston, was jailed for 10 years and banned from driving for four years after leaving prison.

Following the sentencing, Sergeant Andy Dennison, from Cheshire Police’s Serious and Complex Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Despite the poor weather conditions and poor visibility, Lewis was traveling at speeds in excess of 90mph without to take into account the danger it posed to other road users. or himself.

“During the investigation, we used data collected by global satellites connected to electronic devices to show that Lewis was driving at high speed on several roads just before the collision. he accelerated hard to over 90 mph before losing control of his BMW on the wrong side of a double white line system.

“Tragically, as a result of his atrocious driving, Ellie and Rebecca paid the ultimate price and I hope he takes this time behind bars to reflect on the decisions he made that night and the impact he had on victims’ families.

“I cannot begin to imagine the devastating loss that both Ellie and Rebecca’s families have had to endure throughout this long and painful process and I sincerely hope that today’s outcome will provide some closure.

“Lewis refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations, but once he realized the mountain of evidence that was stacked against him, he admitted that his dangerous driving had cost the lives of two young women.

“This has been an extremely challenging and complex investigation and I would like to thank all the dedicated officers involved in bringing Ellie and Rebecca to justice.

“While this outcome will not bring Ellie and Rebecca back to their families, I hope this sends a message to others about the consequences of speeding.”

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