Matthew DuPlessis, 35, from Crewe, has been jailed for nine years and three months after admitting causing the death of his girlfriend, Charlotte Dodd, 35, following a trip to Blackpool. He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs and to perverting the course of justice.
Incident on Padgbury Lane
DuPlessis and Dodd had been to Blackpool on September 23, 2023, and were heard arguing by neighbours after they returned home that night. At 1.30am they left Dodd's address and drove around Congleton in DuPlessis's van as they continued to argue.
Dodd left the van while it was still moving on Padgbury Lane, struck the carriageway, and was fatally injured. A man driving along Padgbury Lane saw Dodd lying in the road, with DuPlessis sitting on the grass verge behind her. He stopped his car and asked DuPlessis what had happened. DuPlessis told him it was a hit and run. The man called 999 and began administering CPR to Dodd.
False account and investigation
DCI Dave Hutcheon, of the Major Investigation Team, said: "DuPlessis told multiple witnesses at the scene, including his own parents, members of the public, paramedics and police that he and Charlotte were walking along Padgbury Lane having been out drinking and that Charlotte was dancing in the carriageway. He said that when his back was turned to wee in a bush a dark coloured vehicle struck Charlotte and fled the scene. We launched a fail-to-stop investigation at the scene, and the defendant was treated as a witness and later allowed to leave with his parents."
However, an officer from the Roads and Crime Serious Collision Unit attended the scene and recognised the defendant's name and that he drove a small white van like the one parked at the scene. Enquiries led the officer to confirm the van was registered to DuPlessis, and officers attended his address to arrest him on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The defendant was further arrested for failing the roadside drug screening test.
DuPlessis pleaded guilty in 2024 to driving with excess cocaine in his body in relation to the incident and was handed a three-year driving disqualification and associated costs.
Forensic evidence and sentencing
In a police interview, DuPlessis admitted that near to Congleton High School, Dodd threatened to jump out of his vehicle, so he stopped the vehicle, but she didn't jump out, so he drove on. She threatened to jump out a further four to five times. DuPlessis refused to say how she came to leave the van that night, but a detailed forensic investigation pieced together events despite this.
Calculations of his speed from Congleton High School and along Padgbury Lane gave an average speed of 32 mph. CCTV along Padgbury Lane captured the vehicle passing. The first cameras showed the vehicle interior was in darkness. However, on passing the third camera, the interior was illuminated by a downward light, indicating that the interior light was in operation. CCTV showed that the driver's side door was not open, but the interior light indicated that the passenger side door was open. In interview, DuPlessis admitted that Dodd had opened the passenger side as she wanted to get out. The van continued a further 195 metres at an average speed of 19 mph.
Forensic analysis showed that the van was over the centre line of the carriageway when the defendant went to turn left into Arnside Avenue. It was at the junction of Padgbury Lane and Arnside Avenue that Dodd left the vehicle.
DCI Hutcheon added: "It hasn't been determined how Charlotte came to leave the van. The defendant overshot the junction causing him to perform an emergency stop. He then reversed and parked his van on Arnside Avenue and went to Charlotte. He then concocted his story to cover up that he was responsible for her death. His lies were caught out by the roads policing officer and the detailed forensic analysis of his movements led to him having no option but to plead guilty. His actions tragically led to Charlotte's death and changed her families' lives forever."
Family statement
Following the sentencing, Charlotte's family said: "Today marks the end of a three-year journey through a police investigation and legal process that has changed our family lives forever. Throughout this period, we have quietly lived through the turmoil, the uncertainty and the heartbreak surrounding the circumstances of Charlotte's death. We have each carried an indescribable pain of losing our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and friend, while also watching her two young girls try to come to terms with losing their mummy.
"We would like to thank everyone who has worked on and contributed to the police investigation. We admire the determination and the tireless efforts made to consider every possibility and to get to the truth, in a very difficult case. We would also like to thank our family and friends for the comfort and support they have provided. You need to know it made a difference. It has taken so long to reach a Crown Court sentence hearing.
"Due to the lies and deception by one person from the very beginning, thereby perverting the course of justice, we still do not know the full truth of what really happened to Charlotte. There are no witnesses. There are some questions that remain unanswered, and we will have to live with those questions for the rest of our lives.
"Justice has now been served, yet we do not believe this reflects the enormity of what has been lost and the devastation that Charlotte's death has caused. Charlotte has not been able to live her best life because one person has senselessly taken that life away, stolen her future. For us, no custodial sentence or punishment will ever be enough.
"Charlotte was deeply loved, is deeply loved and she always will be. She was the light of our lives. She was independent, smart, and creative. She always chose to see the best in people and would encourage everyone to be the best version of themselves every day. Her life was so much more than the circumstances of her death, and she will never be forgotten.
"We now ask for privacy as our family begins to process the end of this chapter and we try to find a way to rebuild our lives without Charlotte."
