35-Year-Old Man Sentenced for Girlfriend’s Death After Faking Hit-and-Run to Deceive Police Following Late-Night Dispute

A MAN has been jailed over the death of his girlfriend after claiming she was killed in a hit-and-run to fool cops.

Charlotte Dodd, 35, was fatally injured after she left a moving van in Congleton, , in September 2023.

On Friday, Matthew DuPlessis was sentenced to nine years and three months behind bars at Chester Crown .

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while unfit through and perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing.

On September 23, 2023, both he and Dodd had visited before neighbours overheard them arguing upon their return later that night.

After leaving Charlotte’s address at around 1.30am, the pair continued to argue as they drove around in DuPlessis’ van before the horror unfolded.

Cheshire said Charlotte left the van as it was still moving where she struck the carriageway and was fatally injured on Padgbury Lane.

A man then stopped his after discovering Charlotte lying in the road as DuPlessis, who claimed it was a hit and run, sat on a grass verge nearby.

The driver immediately called the cops and started to perform CPR on Charlotte.

DCI Dave Hutcheon, of the Major Team, said: “DuPlessis told multiple witnesses at the scene including his own parents, members of the public, paramedics and police at the scene that he and Charlotte were walking along Padgbury Lane having been out drinking and that Charlotte was dancing in the carriageway.

“He told that that when his back was turned to wee in a bush a dark coloured vehicle struck Charlotte and fled the scene.

“We launched a fail to stop investigation at the scene, and the defendant was treated as a witness and later allowed to leave with his parents.”

An officer soon linked DuPlessis with the small white van parked at the scene and he was later arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and further arrested for failing the roadside drug screening test.

In 2024, he pleaded guilty to driving with excess cocaine in his body in connection to the incident and was slapped with a three-year driving ban.

A major probe into Charlotte’s death calculated the van to be travelling at an average speed of 32mph while CCTV showed the interior light in operation, indicating the passenger side door was open.

DuPlessis later admitted in an interview that Charlotte had opened the door as she wanted to get out after saying previously she had threatened to do so multiple times.

DCI Dave Hutcheon added: “It hasn’t been determined how Charlotte came to leave the van.

“The defendant overshot the junction causing him to perform an emergency stop. He then reversed and parked his van on Arnside Avenue and went to Charlotte. He then concocted his story to cover up that he was responsible for her death.

“His lies were caught out by the roads policing officer and the detailed forensic analysis of his movements led to him having no option but to plead guilty.

“His actions tragically led to Charlotte’s death and changed her family’s life forever. Our hearts go out to them as they navigate the rest of their lives trying to cope with the devastating loss of someone they loved very much.”

On Friday, Charlotte’s said in a statement that DuPlessis’ sentencing had marked the end of a process that had “changed our family’s lives forever”.

“We have each carried an indescribable pain of losing our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and friend, whilst also watching her two young girls try to come to terms with losing their mummy,” they said.

The family continued: “Due to the lies and deception by one person from the very beginning, thereby perverting the course of justice, we still do not know the full truth of what really happened to Charlotte.

“There are no witnesses. There are some questions that remain unanswered, and we will have to live with those questions for the rest of our lives.

“Charlotte has not been able to live her best life because one person has senselessly taken that life way, stolen her future. For us, no custodial sentence or punishment will ever be enough.

“Charlotte was deeply loved, is deeply loved and she always will be. She was the light of our lives.

“She was independent, smart, and creative. She always chose to see the best in people and would encourage everyone to be the best version of themselves every day.

“Her life was so much more than the circumstances of her death, and she will never be forgotten.”