Dad-of-three who'd just been appointed as a judge was hit and killed by uninsured driver
12.04.2024 - 18:43
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
An uninsured driver who hit a district judge with his car before he died has avoided jail. Lawyer Matthew Mawdsley, 54, a father-of-three who lived in Manchester, had been out for work celebrations when he tried to cross the A38 in Birmingham; a busy carriageway at around 10pm on December 16 2022.
Mawdsley had been appointed as district judge in Birmingham just weeks before he suffered fatal injuries in the collision. He was 'clipped' by the vehicle that Elliott Nash was driving, before he fell to the ground and was hit by another vehicle.
33-year-old Nash was on his way home from working on a stall at a Christmas market in Cathedral Square. After his vehicle “clipped” Mr Mawdsley, he fell to the ground and was then hit by another car, suffering catastrophic head injuries, as well as fractures to his pelvis, ribs and hip.
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Nash did not stop at the scene of the crash, but his black Ford Kuga was traced back to his address by police at around 3am the next morning and he was arrested.
Nash, from Willenhall in Walsall, pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident and driving without insurance at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court in July last year, but faced a trial in February after denying causing death by driving whilst uninsured.
A jury of six men and six women at Birmingham Crown Court failed to reach a verdict and the prosecution decided not to seek a retrial, so Nash was sentenced for the two offences he pleaded guilty to earlier.
Mr Mawdsley’s family watched the hearing remotely on Friday as Nash was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, by Judge Sarah Buckingham.
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