A man has been sentenced to over nine years in prison for causing the death of his girlfriend and attempting to cover up the circumstances surrounding the incident. Matthew DuPlessis, 35, from Crewe, was sentenced to nine years and three months at Chester Crown Court after admitting to causing death by careless driving while unfit due to drug use, as well as perverting the course of justice.

The case stems from events on the early hours of September 23, 2023, when DuPlessis and his girlfriend, Charlotte Dodd, also 35, were involved in an argument at her home. Around 1:30 a.m., the couple left in DuPlessis’s van. Ms. Dodd subsequently fell from the moving vehicle and sustained fatal injuries after hitting the road in Congleton, Cheshire.

Shortly after, a passerby found Ms. Dodd lying in the street and stopped to assist. DuPlessis told the witness that Dodd had been struck by a dark-colored vehicle which then fled the scene—a claim he repeated to his parents, paramedics, and police officers present at the time. He stated that the pair had been walking after a drinking session and that Ms. Dodd had been dancing in the carriageway prior to the alleged hit-and-run.

However, police investigations raised doubts about his account. A police officer recognized DuPlessis’s name and noted that he drove a white van similar to one parked near the incident. While authorities have not been able to definitively establish how Ms. Dodd came to leave the van, officers concluded that DuPlessis fabricated the story to disguise his role in her death.

During a separate 2024 hearing, DuPlessis also admitted to driving under the influence of cocaine and received a three-year driving ban. The sentencing judge considered his drug impairment and the deliberate deception involved in the case.

Following the sentencing, Ms. Dodd’s family expressed their frustration, stating that due to the lies and the obstruction of justice by DuPlessis, the full truth about what happened to Charlotte remains unclear. The case highlights ongoing challenges law enforcement faces when drug use and inconsistent witness statements intersect in fatal incidents on the road.