GARY TOOMEY JAILED FOR CAUSING FATAL M62 CRASH NEAR LIVERPOOL

A man with a notorious temper who caused a fatal crash by pulling the handbrake while his ex-partner was driving has been sentenced to prison. Gary Toomey, 37, explained to police that a "feeling had come over him" following an argument with Victoria Bell, 34. This incident led to the crash on the M62 near Liverpool on 24 September 2021.

Ms. Bell was able to escape the wreckage before she was struck and killed by another vehicle on the motorway, which was unable to stop in time. Toomey, residing on Hollin Hey Road, Bolton, was sentenced on Thursday to seven years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter at Liverpool Crown Court.

The two, who still saw each other occasionally, had been arguing while returning from a festival in Liverpool. Toomey told authorities that his ex-partner had expressed her wish not to see him again, prompting him to shout at her before grabbing the handbrake, causing the car to spin out of control.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Toomey pulled the handbrake "in temper," an "appalling" action with "tragic ramifications." The court heard that Ms. Bell managed to exit the vehicle after it collided with a central reservation around 23:30 BST on the M62, but was then hit by an oncoming car and died almost instantly. Investigators stated that the other driver did not have enough time or space to avoid hitting her.

They also noted that the wrecked vehicle appeared "all of a sudden" without lights on in an unlit stretch of motorway, making it extremely difficult to see until the last moment.

Ms. Bell's mother described Toomey as a "control freak with a savage temper." In her victim impact statement, she said, "Your actions have ruined my life forever." Additionally, Toomey, an HGV driver, was disqualified from driving for two years.