Haulage boss jailed over M62 faulty brake deaths

Nigel Eley and John-Paul Cassidy were both travelling in the same car when the lorry hit them

A haulage boss who ran a "lawless" business has been jailed for 15 years after two men died when their car was hit by an HGV with faulty brakes.

Michael Holgate, 39, was accused of saving money by "cutting corners" on vehicle repairs and maintenance.

It led to the deaths of Nigel Eley and John-Paul Cassidy when the 30-tonne HGV, carrying a mobile home, crashed on the M62 near Goole in April 2018.

The lorry's driver, Jack Beston, 24, was jailed for six years.

Hull Crown Court heard Nigel Eley, 41, and John-Paul Cassidy, 37, both from Manchester, were killed when the lorry smashed through the central reservation, hitting their car on the opposite side of the motorway.

The 30-tonne HGV was carrying a mobile home when it crashed on the M62 near Goole in April 2018

Mr Eley died instantly at the scene from "catastrophic" injuries, while Mr Cassidy died from a head injury in hospital 10 days later.

The court heard Beston, who was 22 at the time, was unknowingly uninsured to drive the HGV as Holgate only insured his vehicles for drivers aged 25 and over "to save money".

Jurors were told Beston, from Driffield, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing, had used an app to report a brake fault warning light on the dashboard nine times over the two weeks before the crash.

During that time, the vehicle had travelled over 3,000 miles.

Two attempts had been made to identify and repair the fault, which caused a four to six-second delay on the trailer unit's brakes.

But the court was told that when a mechanic asked for the lorry to be sent away for repair, Holgate refused.

On the day of the collision, Beston was due to make a 580-mile round-trip from Hull to Chichester, but early on he began experiencing problems with the brakes and commented on the issue on a number of occasions.

The judge said the crash on the M62 was a "disaster waiting to happen"

Holgate, of Munstead Way, Brough, was previously convicted of manslaughter through gross negligence.

Judge Mr Justice Fraser said a replacement valve would have only cost £200 and that the crash was a "disaster waiting to happen".

Passing sentence, he said: "Lack of affordability was not remotely an issue in you, Michael Holgate, deciding not to have the defects repaired. Your greed was the driving force."

Mr Justice Fraser added: "The prosecution said you were involved in an 'entirely lawless operation'. That description is one that is entirely accurate."

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The judge disqualified Holgate from being a company director for 15 years.

Beston, who was said to have shown "genuine remorse", was banned from driving for five years following his release from jail on licence.

Victim impact statements from family members described the deaths of the two men as "avoidable".

Mr Eley's wife, Laurie, described her husband as her "knight in shining armour" and said the "backbone" of her perfect family had been taken away from her and their two sons.