Driver looking for a cigarette killed beloved dad in fatal M32 motorway pile-up

Jamie Nicholls has been spared jail for killing Michael Stone in the M32 crash near Bristol

19:14, 27 Feb 2026

Bristol Crown Court.(Image: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

A 48-year-old driver who caused a fatal five-car motorway pile-up while searching for a cigarette has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Jamie Nicholls, of Otterhampton, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court[1] on Thursday following the death of 68-year-old Michael Stone. The court heard that a momentary lapse in concentration led to "horrendous" consequences on the M32 near Bristol[2] in August 2024.

On the morning of August 22, 2024, Nicholls was driving a van at high speed on the Junction 1 exit slip road at Hambrook. He told officers at the scene that he "looked down for a cigarette for a second or two" and failed to see a queue of stationary traffic ahead.

Click here to prioritise Manchester news in Google from the MEN[3]

Nicholls crashed into the back of Mr Stone's blue Peugeot, which was then propelled into the vehicle in front, triggering a chain reaction involving five cars in total.

Mr Stone, a resident of Longwell Green, died at the scene.

His colleague, a passenger in the car, suffered seven broken ribs and a significant head injury.

In a deeply emotional victim impact statement, Penny Stone, Michael's wife of 40 years, described him as the "foundation" of their family. She detailed the pain of having to break the news to one of their daughters while she was on her honeymoon in America.

"When we gather around the table now there is an empty space where he should be sat," Mrs. Stone told the court. "I have lost my husband, my best friend, the father of my children, my rock...

I miss him so much it physically hurts."

She added that the couple had missed out on the birth of their first grandchild and "bucket list" holidays they had planned to take together.

Nicholls pleaded guilty last month to causing death by careless driving and causing serious injury by careless driving.

The judge handed down a sentence of 14 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, along with a 12-month driving disqualification, with a requirement to pass an extended test.

He also gave the defendant a 60-day curfew and 10 days of rehabilitation activity.

Following the sentencing, Officer Noelie Poupard of Avon and Somerset Police[4] emphasized that poor concentration is one of the "fatal five" causes of road collisions.

"A motorist looking away from the road, even for a second, will cover a significant distance when travelling at 70mph," Poupard warned. "This was entirely avoidable."

References

1. ^ Bristol Crown Court (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ Bristol (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Click here to prioritise Manchester news in Google from the MEN (www.google.com)
4. ^ Avon and Somerset Police (www.avonandsomerset.police.uk)