Best friends paid the 'ultimate price' after travelling to Cheshire Oaks

Two best friends paid the "ultimate price" after travelling home from Cheshire Oaks.

Ellie Crossley, from Holywell and Rebecca Doughty, of Connah's Quay, both in North Wales, were travelling home in a silver Citroen on the A5117 near to Parkgate Road near Capenhurst on Thursday, November 25, 2021 when they were involved in a crash with a BMW.

Emergency services were called and on arrival officers found that 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 had been driving at speeds of up to 93mph in a 60mph zone on the A5117 in Dunkirk when he lost control of his BMW 420D.

He crashed with a Citroen DS3 travelling in the opposite direction. The driver of the Citroen, Ellie Crossley, was travelling home from Cheshire Oaks with her friend, Rebecca Doughty, who was sat in the front passenger seat.

As part of Cheshire Police's enquiries, a forensic collision investigator was enlisted to reconstruct the crash and the events leading up to it in order to establish the circumstances. This identified the BMW had crossed the double solid white lines and entered into the opposite lane when it crashed with the Citroen that was travelling towards it.

Lewis was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of death by dangerous driving. He had initially pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of death by careless driving, however the prosecution refused 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 of West Vale, Neston, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and banned from driving for four years after he is released from prison.

Following the sentencing Sergeant Andy Dennison, of the Cheshire police Serious and Complex Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Despite the poor weather conditions and low visibility, Lewis proceeded to speed in excess of 90mph with no regard to the danger he posed to other road users or himself.

"During the investigation, we utilised data collected by global satellites connected to electronic devices to show that Lewis had driven at high speed on several roads just before the collision. It was also shown that on entering the A5117, despite the terrible weather conditions, Lewis accelerated harshly up past 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 this has had on the families of the victims.

“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 today’s result will provide some closure.

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

“This has been an extremely challenging and complex investigation, and I’d like to thank all of the dedicated officers involved in securing justice for Ellie and Rebecca.

“While this result will not bring back Ellie and Rebecca to their families, I hope this sends a message to others about the consequences of driving at high speed.”

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