Overview
- Matthew DuPlessis was sentenced to nine years and three months at Chester Crown Court on Friday, August 28, 2026 after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through drugs and to perverting the course of justice.
- Police say Charlotte Dodd left the moving van on Padgbury Lane in Congleton on the night of September 23–24, 2023 and was fatally injured after striking the road.
- At the scene DuPlessis told multiple witnesses, including his parents and paramedics, that a dark vehicle had struck Ms Dodd and fled, which initially prompted a fail-to-stop investigation.
- CCTV and forensic reconstruction showed the passenger door open, the van travelled a further 195 metres at about 19mph and moved over the centre line when turning, findings that directly contradicted his account and underpinned the charges.
- Ms Dodd’s family said the sentence does not answer key questions about how she came to leave the van and that no punishment will replace their loss.