Eight-and-a-half years for death crash driver

A Wigan man responsible for a horrific crash which killed a teenager has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail.
Stuart RuddStuart Rudd
Stuart Rudd

Stuart Rudd appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Thursday) after pleading guilty to numerous charges related to the incident which claimed the life of 19-year-old Isobelle Woodall.

Rudd was handed the jail term for causing death by dangerous driving as well as a concurrent three-year sentence for causing serious injury by dangerous driving to Isobelle’s boyfriend Steven Inman.

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On the evening of Sunday, August 16, 2015, Rudd went into Wigan town centre and spent a number of hours drinking alcohol before getting into a Ford Focus ST with the intention of driving home.

Isobelle WoodallIsobelle Woodall
Isobelle Woodall

He then proceeded to drive at speed along Central Parkway in Wigan before attempting to overtake another vehicle on a blind corner.

Whilst trying to overtake the vehicle, Rudd’s car collided with an oncoming Peugeot 206 and hit it at such force that the car did a full 360 degree rotation and landed back on its wheels. Numerous witnesses have described the noise made by the collision as sounding like an explosion.

Nineteen-year-old Isobelle Charlotte Woodall, who was travelling as a passenger in the Peugeot, sustained serious head injuries and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

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Further enquiries revealed that Rudd did not have a full driving license and lied to his insurance company to get cover for the car.

Isobelle WoodallIsobelle Woodall
Isobelle Woodall

Police Constable Neil Pennington of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “The reckless actions of Stuart Rudd last August took the life of a young woman who had her whole future ahead of her.

“He has robbed a loving family of a sister and a daughter, leaving them absolutely distraught.

“The fact that he has been sentenced today for a catalogue of driving offences shows that him driving drunk was not a momentary lapse in judgement but the actions of a man who does not care about the laws of the road.

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“I hope the sentence passed here today will bring Isobelle’s family some form of closure for their devastating loss.”

The 39-year-old from Walkden Avenue East, who was also handed a 10-year-driving ban, sustained a fractured pelvis as did his passenger.

Ms Woodall, from Welshpool in Wales, who it is believed was visiting relatives in Wigan, was pronounced dead at the scene and her 27-year-old boyfriend, who hails from Bury, suffered serious head injuries.

In a statement, Isobelle’s family described her as “a happy, fun loving and affectionate girl”.

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