Anthony Burns jailed for causing Ryanair pilot deaths on M62
Anthony Burns was jailed today, Tuesday, at Liverpool Crown Court, having admitted two charges of causing death by dangerous driving and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. At 5.31am on Thursday, July 11, 2024, Matt Greenhalgh and Jamie Fernandes were travelling to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in a taxi on the motorway. Tragically however, the pair, captain and senior first officer respectively for Ryanair, were involved in a crash with two lorries.
The fatal collision occurred on the westbound carriageway between junctions eight for Burtonwood and seven for Rainhill Stoops. Sadly, 28-year-old Matt and 24-year-old Jamie were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the taxi, Rashid Mehmood, miraculously survived, emerging from his crushed Toyota with a broken shoulder and multiple rib fractures.
Following police enquiries, now-63-year-old Burns, of Headington Road in Upton, Wirral, was arrested and subsequently charged. Appearing in court today, he was sentenced by judge Simon Medland to 10 years in prison, of which he will serve two-thirds before being released on licence. He was also disqualified from driving for six years on his release, and he must pass an extended retest before regaining his licence.
Damian Nolan, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Mehmood was working a night shift, taxiing Mr Greenhalgh and Mr Fernandes from Luton Airport to Liverpool Airport, with the passengers asleep in the rear of the car. "However uneventful the journey northbound had been, all that was to change on the M62 as the Toyota neared Liverpool," Mr Nolan said. It had been raining in the north west that day and light, but the road was wet through rain, with queues on the M62 westbound due to an earlier accident on the opposite carriageway.
Matrix signs had been set at 40mph to reflect this, with a lorry driver slowing to a stop after reaching a queue. However, he heard a collision noise like a crunch, and he immediately felt a shunt to his lorry, followed by a second shunt. The Toyota containing the three victims suffered devastating crush damage on all sides and had been rotated 180 degrees, facing the wrong way down the carriageway.
CCTV footage showed a HGV being driven by Burns brake around a second before crashing into the Toyota The defendant approached the point of collision, ignoring the initial matrix sign of 50mph and then the 40mph sign, travelling 16mph over the downwardly adjusted speed limit. Remarkably, Mr Mehmood emerged from the wreckage, but sadly, Mr Greenhalgh and Mr Fernandes sustained unsurvivable injuries.
The police discounted him using a phone or watching any media behind the wheel, and he was not unfit to drive through drink or drugs Burns was arrested and interviewed under caution and answered no comment to all questions asked during his interview, providing no explanation for his manner of driving. The court heard that he has 28 previous convictions, mainly in the 1980s and 1990s, with a significant gap until an assault in 2009.
He has no convictions relating to the manner of his driving, but he received three penalty points in August 2021 for driving an HGV with an unsafe load. Before mitigating, Michael Hayton, defending, told the court: "The victims were two young man of bright futures, bright pasts, loving families, with a great deal to look forward to." He said that his client has 'very clear remorse and regret' for the profound impact that his behaviour and actions have had upon the families of all the victims.
"In the intervening period, knowing that there are those who have lost family members, he too has suffered a great deal," Mr Hayton said. "He is empathising with those who have suffered, and he very much regrets, for their part, what he has done. He would do anything to go back in time.
"He was effectively on autopilot. He went out that day to do his job. He has been a professional driver for more than 30 years.
"He has never had an accident, either as a personal driver or in his professional capacity. He is, on any other day, a safe driver. "On this particular occasion, he has driven dangerously and caused two deaths and serious injury."
Mr Hayton said that Burns 'should have been on notice', given the speed matrix signs, that there was the potential for slower traffic ahead, and he did not respond to that until it was 'far, far too late'. "In this case, what we have is a man doing his job and doing it safely, as he has done for 31 years previously, and just switching off for up to 20 seconds previously," he added. "He is supported today by a loving, caring family, who are all alive to the impact on that side of the room being far greater.
"He is keen and anxious that people do not leave this courtroom thinking he did not care, or that it did not have an impact on him. He will not live with it like they live with it, but live with it he will. "These are awful cases, tragic cases, extremely tragic in circumstances of such bright, shining young things that have been taken away from their families.
This defendant regrets what he did. "He did not go out to drive dangerously. He did not go out to drive a machine of death and mayhem, but each time one of us gets behind the wheel, there is a risk."
"You were driving in the national speed limit comfortably, but the trouble was the prevailing road conditions, in terms of weather, and advisory speed limits indicated that, even driving at that speed, you were driving at a speed which was substantially above that which was safe." Referencing Mr Greenhalgh and Mr Fernandes, Judge Medland said: "They were, as your learned counsel has said, bright young men with significant careers and a long life ahead of them. "That was taken away from them by your dangerous driving.
"Nobody suggests for one moment that you set out that day to cause harm or injury, still less death, to anybody. "For decades by then, you had been a commercial driver and an experienced HGV man. You were not on your phone.
You were not under the influence of drink or drugs. "Whether you were on a sort of robotic autopilot, who knows. You do not know.
You are not able to say. "You were driving at 56mph in a 40mph advisory in torrential rain, with heavy road water and spray. This was a speed which was highly inappropriate for the prevailing weather conditions."
Judge Medland said that there are a number of 'persuasive and valuable character references', with a 'large number of good people speaking very well' of the defendant as a man. "You have, undoubtedly, genuine and profound remorse for the outcome of your dangerous driving," he continued. "This dreadful, tragic episode killed two men and seriously injured a third.
You have heard, and will have understood, the terrible and enduring impact which this episode had on the family and friends of Mr Fernandes and Mr Greenhalgh, and the enduring day-to-day impact it has on Mr Mehmood. "The word grief does not quite sum up the feeling. There is always, of course, the oppressive guilt of the survivor, which you probably feel yourself.
"This sentence is not in any way a value of their lives. That would be impossible. The court must instead reach for what it sees as a just sentence in this case."
Paying tribute to him after the crash, Matt's family said: "Matt had a passion for life and seized every opportunity that came his way. "He had already achieved so much in such a short life, with so much more planned. "Matt discovered his ambition for becoming a pilot in his teenage years, following a flying lesson that was gifted by his aunt.
"His hard work and determination led to a successful career with Ryanair, recently being promoted to captain. "He loved the skies and flying, never growing tired of the scenic views from the cockpit. 
"Matt was a keen sportsman; in his younger years, enjoying rugby and cricket, and more recently, golf and cycling. "He wanted to try anything and everything, constantly seeking new adventures. Matt and his wife Hannah also enjoyed travelling.
"Their last trip being Las Vegas, where they were married just three months before his tragic death. "We take comfort that we will hold so many fantastic memories of our time with him. "He was a loving husband, thoughtful son, loyal brother, caring grandson, respected colleague and valued friend.
"We have been overwhelmed with love and affection to our family, from so many areas of Matt's life, as he clearly touched the lives of so many. "We are lost without you. You are forever in our hearts."
Also paying tribute, Jamie's family wrote: "Jamie was living his best life and had so many plans for the future. In his too-short life, he packed in so much and made the most of every moment. "We are grateful that he achieved the dream he had had from childhood of flying.
"He looked forward to every day at work, where it is obvious he was with a very special family of colleagues and friends, and as he said, 'The sun always shines above the clouds'. "Jamie loved spending time with his friends, playing golf, squash and was a keen hockey player. "All of his friends from both school and the flying community were hugely important to him.
He was so very kind and had a wicked sense of humour. "We have been truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection to our family, which shows what a special young man Jamie was, and how he clearly touched the lives of more people than we could ever have imagined. "Our darling boy was a loving son, grandson, nephew and cousin.
He is the light of our lives and always will be." It was decided that money from a fundraiser set up to support both families should be used to fund a scholarship trust to help people from all backgrounds in their journey to becoming pilots. In addition, in honour of Matt and Jamie, Ryanair pledged to erect a plaque with their names at East Midlands Training Centre.
The airline also said that it would introduce the Matt Greenhalgh and Jamie Fernandes Memorial Award, to be presented to the top-performing cadet each year.