Two lorry drivers have been jailed for causing a pile-up that killed eight people and seriously injured four others travelling in a minibus that was taking passengers to Disneyland.
Ryszard Masierak, 31, was jailed for 14 years while FedEx Driver David Wagstaff, 54, was jailed for three years and four months on Friday at Aylesbury Crown Court for causing the collision on the M1 in the early hours of August 26 last year.
The minibus driven by Cyriac Joseph was crushed between their two vehicles when Masierak came to a complete stop in the slow lane while twice the legal alcohol limit.
Cider cans were found in the cab of his lorry, suggesting that he had been drinking while at the wheel.
Polish national Masierak, of Evesham, Worcestershire, had been stationary in the slow line for more than 12 minutes, despite miles of hard shoulder being available to him.
The court heard that Masierak had been driving erratically for more than two hours before the accident, including driving the wrong way around a major roundabout, driving the wrong way down a motorway slip way and then turning on the slip way to retrace his path.
Multiple witnesses reported beeping or flashing their lights at Masierak while he was stationary on the M1, which he ignored, indicating he was either asleep or unconscious at the time.
Wagstaff had his vehicle on cruise control and was chatting on his hands-free set when he ploughed into the back of the minibus at 56mph, forcing it under Masierak’s lorry near Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
Both drivers were disqualified from driving and ordered to take an extended test if they ever wish to get behind the wheel again.
Masierak was banned from the roads for 17 years, while Wagstaff was banned for five years. Masierak was also told he may face deportation upon his release.
In court, Judge Francis Sheridan said the crash was the most serious in the UK for more than 26 years.
He said to Masierak: “What you have tried to do is blame everyone and everybody except yourself.
“In short, you are a persistent, unmitigated, if not very accomplished, liar.”
He said he had shown “no remorse” and that there was “no mitigation” in his case.
Turning to Wagstaff, he said: “You had between nine and 11 seconds to see the vehicles ahead had you not been so distracted by using the phone, albeit on Bluetooth.
“You took no action whatsoever because you weren’t concentrating on what was in front of you – they were there to be seen and you didn’t see them.”
Six men, including Mr Joseph, and two women were killed in the smash, while four others including a four-year-old girl were seriously injured.
The remaining deceased were named as Panneerselvam Annamalai, Rishi Ranjeev Kumar, Vivek Baskaran, Lavanyalakshmi Seetharaman, Karthikeyan Pugalur Ramasubramanian, Subramaniyan Arachelvan and Tamilmani Arachelvan.
Judge Sheridan acknowledged Wagstaff had not broken the law in using his Bluetooth headset at the wheel, but added: “It would be wrong of me not to take the opportunity to urge the public to download the app that deactivates your phone when you are on the move.”
He also thanked the victims’ families, many of whom were present at trial, saying: “They conducted themselves with utmost dignity which was utterly humbling, and allowed these defendants to have a fair trial.”