A drug-impaired driver who ploughed his Mercedes into a tractor—sending it careening into residential homes—has been sentenced following the dramatic collision in Chester city centre.
Matthew Cumpsty, 52, of Great Boughton, previously pleaded guilty to charges of drug driving and dangerous driving.
The court heard that at 6:30am on 1 April, Cumpsty was driving a silver Mercedes E-Class along Green Lane when he approached the junction with the A51, Vicars Cross Road.
Ignoring a red light, he drove straight into the path of a JCB tractor heading out of Chester. The force of the impact caused the tractor to veer off course and crash into nearby homes.
Emergency services were called to the scene, where they found two properties had sustained significant structural damage. Miraculously, no one was injured in the incident.
Cumpsty was arrested at the scene after failing a roadside drugs test. A subsequent toxicology report confirmed he was over the legal limit for benzoylecgonine—a metabolite of cocaine—recording 65 micrograms per litre of blood, above the legal threshold of 50.
CCTV footage obtained from the scene clearly showed Cumpsty driving through the red light.
He appeared at Chester Crown Court on 15 July, where he was handed a 12-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work.
In addition, he was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Following sentencing, Police Constable Richard Phillips said: “While Cumpsty has shown remorse for his actions, the impact of his actions that day were lifechanging and it was pure chance that nobody suffered any serious injuries.
“As a result of one bad decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence, several families were left homeless and commuters travelling into Chester were left with serious disruption for several weeks while repair work was undertaken.
“In addition, Cumpsty is facing a lengthy driving ban. I hope that this ban will give him time to reflect on his actions that day.”
