A lorry driver with a history of teenage joyriding offences has been sentenced to ten years in prison for killing two Ryanair pilots in a catastrophic motorway collision.
A Catastrophic Collision on the M62
Anthony Burns, 63, from Upton, Wirral, ploughed his 44-tonne Scania lorry into the back of a stationary taxi at an estimated 50mph on the M62 near Warrington, Cheshire. The crash occurred at 5.31am on 11 July 2024 in driving rain. The taxi, driven by Uber driver Rashid Mehmood, was at the rear of a queue of traffic.
Inside were Captain Matt Greenhalgh, 28, and Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24. The pilots, who were being driven from Luton Airport back to their base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, had fallen asleep. Both suffered traumatic head injuries and multiple other injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Despite having a clear view of the queuing traffic for 500 metres, Burns only applied his brakes one second before impact. The taxi was shunted into the rear of another lorry, sustaining what prosecutors described as 'devastating crush damage on all sides' and rotating 180 degrees.
A 'Deadly Weapon' and a Miraculous Escape
Mr Mehmood miraculously survived the collision. A police officer at the scene heard shouts for help before a hand and then a head emerged from the wreckage of the Toyota Auris. The taxi driver suffered a broken shoulder, fractured ribs and spinal injuries. He told the court he has not driven a taxi since the crash and struggles with anger and spinal issues.
In a heart-rending victim impact statement, Hannah Greenhalgh, who had married Matt just three months earlier in Las Vegas, described the lorry as a 'deadly weapon'. "At 27, after three months' marriage, I became a widow," she said. "I struggle to see how I can have a future after everything was taken from me."
The family of Jamie Fernandes first learned of the tragedy via an alert from his Apple device, which had detected a crash and automatically called emergency services. His mother, Amanda Lindsay, said their lives "can never be fixed" and that his bedroom at the family home in Chorley remains untouched.
A Long History of Motoring Offences
While Burns' recent HGV driving record was described in court as 'generally good', it can now be revealed he has a long history of motoring convictions dating back to his teens. His total criminal record prior to the fatal crash included 28 previous offences.
Burns was first in court at age 14 in May 1977 for taking a motor vehicle without consent, going equipped for theft, and driving without insurance and while disqualified. He received a conditional discharge.
Further convictions followed:
- In November 1980, aged 18, he received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and an 18-month driving ban for similar offences.
- By May 1981, he was in breach of that sentence and ban, and was sentenced to three months' youth detention for taking another vehicle.
- In October 1988, aged 26, he was fined and banned from driving for 18 months for driving while disqualified and with no insurance.
He also had two more recent suspended sentences for arson in 1993 and common assault in 2009. Despite this history, Judge Simon Medland KC noted during sentencing that the historic convictions had "somewhat less weight" and that Burns' recent record could "be regarded as good".
Sentencing and Aftermath
Burns pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. At Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, he was handed a 10-year fixed-term sentence, meaning he could be eligible for release in as little as four years. He was also banned from driving for 150 months and must pass an extended retest.
The court heard he was "riven with remorse" and has suffered mental health difficulties since the tragedy. Evidence showed he was not on his phone or under the influence of drink or drugs. His barrister suggested he was "effectively on autopilot".
Tachograph data confirmed Burns ignored a 40mph advisory speed limit in place due to the weather and traffic conditions. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith questioned whether Burns should ever have been allowed a career as a commercial driver, stating plainly: "No, he shouldn't have."
Judge Medland described the collision as a "dreadful, tragic episode" with an "enduring impact" on the families and the surviving taxi driver. The case has raised serious questions about the assessment of drivers' long-term histories when licensing them to operate heavy goods vehicles.
