Man found guilty of Weybridge taxi driver's death

Deane Girdler, 43, a construction manager from Woodham, faced two counts of causing death by dangerous driving following the crash, just south of the junction with Copsem Lane (A244), after midnight on Saturday, January 19, 2008.

Preston Trueick, 61, a black cab driver from Weybridge, and Catherine Cunningham, 67, from Liphook, Hampshire, both died in the crash.

The jury reached a unanimous decision that Girdler was guilty of causing the death of Mr Trueick, but later in the afternoon, after four days of deliberation, they could not come to a decision on whether he was guilty of the second count of causing Ms Cunningham’s death.

The Crown Prosecution Service has asked for 14 days to decide whether to schedule a retrial over the second count.

A sentencing date for the guilty verdict will be announced once this decision is made.

Charles Royal, who represented Girdler, asked Judge Suzanne Matthews to renew his client’s bail so he would not “languish on remand” while awaiting the sentencing decision.

However, Judge Matthews decided to withdraw bail, meaning Girdler will now remain in custody.

Guilty man drove at 120mph before collision

During the trial, the prosecution claimed Girdler had made a veering action in his Audi A4 from the fast lane into the slow lane near the A244, where his car then collided with the back of the taxi being driven by Preston Trueick.

Girdler’s car continued before coming to a stop on the slip road of the A244, but Mr Trueick’s taxi was forced further out into the road, eventually stopping sideways on in the fast lane.

At this point Mr Trueick was still alive, the court heard, but moments later a Toyota Yaris, being driven by Ms Cunningham, hit the taxi, causing it to be shunted along the road and to spin on to its side, killing both drivers.

Other road users on the night of the crash told the court Girdler had been driving between 115mph to 120mph before the incident took place.

Two of the witnesses for the prosecution during the trial were members of the Territorial Army, who were in a minibus travelling to a Longmoor training camp in Liss, Hampshire, when Girdler’s car passed them moments before the collision with Mr Trueick’s taxi.

One of the cadets, Michael Harnell, a combat medical technician, said the Audi was travelling so fast it caused the minibus, which had 16 soldiers inside, to shake.

Defendant "smelt strongly of alcohol”

It was also revealed during the trial that Girdler had failed to complete three tests police wanted to carry out to find out if he had been drink driving.

Witnesses at the scene of the crash claimed Girdler had smelt strongly of alcohol.

Mr Harnell, who was left in charge of Girdler by police following the crash, said Girdler was “incredibly intoxicated” and could not stand up straight.

He also claimed that before he had helped Girdler out of his car, he had seen the defendant try to start the engine in an attempt to drive away from the scene.

Family's relief

When the verdict was announced, Mr Trueick’s wife Mary burst into tears and was comforted by her relatives.

Outside the court, Mrs Trueick said she was relieved and pleased with the verdict.

She said: “We just wanted him [Girdler] to accept he was guilty.

"We were a small family that loved each other and Preston was very much loved by his friends and family. He’s very much missed.”

She also criticised Surrey County Council for not increasing the visibility on the stretch of road in which her husband was killed.

The section of the A3 where the crash occurred is not lit and Mrs Trueick said her husband, an experienced driver, had often avoided it.

She said: “Surrey County Council is one of the richest authorities in the UK and they are not spending enough money on highways and cameras.

"It makes me very angry. A lot of people that use that road are boy racers.”

Mr Trueick's daughter Lucy also spoke to the Elmbridge Guardian to pay tribute to her father.

She said: “I am relieved that justice has prevailed and he was found guilty, although no sentence is going to equate for our loss.

“My dad was a great father, very supportive and I miss him terribly - the photo (above) was taken only two months before he died.

“Deane Girdler’s behaviour on January 18 was absolutely disgraceful and I believe he had potential to kill many more people who were using the road that night.

"If he had chosen to get the train as he should have, none of this would have ever happened.”

Elmbridge Guardian gets reporting ban lifted

At the close of the trial, Judge Suzanne Matthews barred all newspaper reporting of the case, so any possible retrial would not be prejudiced.

This would have meant the guilty verdict would not have been reported until December this year at the earliest, when the possible retrial is pencilled in.

However, the Elmbridge Guardian successfully argued for the reporting restrictions to be lifted, saying the case had already been highly publicised and it was in the public interest to show the working of the justice system.

The Elmbridge Guardian also argued, as there had been a considerable gap between the first verdict being announced and the reporting restrictions implemented, there was a chance the verdict for count one had already been reported on the internet.

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