The grieving widow of one of two Ryanair pilots killed in a horrific motorway crash told of her ‘struggle to see how I have a future’ as the lorry driver responsible was jailed for 10 years.
Hannah Greenhalgh, widow of Captain Matt Greenhalgh, 28, who died with fellow Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24, in the collision on the M62 in July 2024, fought back tears as she gave an emotional statement.
She spoke at Liverpool Crown Court before trucker Anthony Burns, 63, was sentenced after admitting two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to taxi driver Rashid Mehmood.
The early morning tragedy, in driving rain near Warrington, Cheshire, happened just three months after she and Mr Greenhalgh had married in Las Vegas – and before they even had chance to hold a further ceremony back in Britain with relatives.
Mrs Greenhalgh recalled how, having bought their first home and tied the knot, the couple were planning their future together and wanted to start a family.
But she said: ‘At 27, after three months’ marriage, I became a widow.’
She said she has since suffered on a daily basis from her grief, adding: ‘I struggle to see how I can have a future after everything was taken from me.’
Mrs Greenhalgh – whose husband qualified as a pilot aged 19 – told the court even her home became ‘unbearable because I kept seeing Matt sat before me’ and that she has had to move house to help her come to terms with what happened.
The grieving widow, who had kissed her husband goodbye’ when he left home for work on July 10, the day before the crash, had a ‘sixth sense’ something was wrong when she did not receive a text from him the next morning.
Hannah Greenhalgh, widowed just three months after her wedding in Las Vegas to Ryanair pilot Matt Greenhalgh, pictured outside earlier hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court
Mr Greenhalgh had flown out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, then brought an empty plane back from Palma to Luton, before he and Mr Fernandes were given a taxi back to Liverpool, where they were based.
They were killed in the collision at 5.31am on July 11, when their Toyota Auris taxi was stationary behind a lorry in queueing traffic and Burns’ HGV ran into the back of them at 50mph.
Mrs Greenhalgh, who was ‘expecting a message’ in the early hours, said: ‘I started calling local hospitals because my sixth sense told me something wasn’t right. My worst fears were confirmed when police knocked at the door.’
She said of her late husband: ‘He got passengers home safely every day but he didn’t make it home himself.’
Mrs Greenhalgh told how in the weeks and months after her husband’s death she faced agonies including asking to see Burns’ Scania lorry, which was fully loaded and weighed 44 tonnes at the time of the collision. She described the vehicle as a ‘deadly weapon’.
‘It took me nine months to get Matt’s epaulettes back,’ she added.
Mr Fernandes’ mother Amanda Lindsay told how her family first became aware of the tragedy after receiving an alert from his Apple device, which had detected he had been in a crash and automatically called emergency services.
They ended up calling Lancashire, then Merseyside and Cheshire police forces before news of the tragedy was confirmed.
Lorry driver Anthony Burns arrives at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing this morning
Police mugshot of Burns released after he was sentenced for killing the two pilots
Ms Lindsay said: ‘Our lives can never be fixed. I will never understand why it had to be him. What tortures us more than anything is how much we’re missing him and if he’s up there missing us, too.’
She added her son’s room at the family home in Chorley, Lancs., has been left untouched, and told how it would have ‘meant the world’ to see the ‘mature family man he would have become’.
Uber taxi driver Mr Mehmood, who was left with broken ribs and a broken shoulder but managed to crawl out of the wreckage of his wrecked Toyota Auris after shouting for help to astonished police officers, told how he has ‘not driven a taxi since’.
The father-of-one, who has ‘spinal issues’, said he also struggles with anger and has to ‘lock myself away so I don’t upset members of my family’.
Evidence from Burns’ lorry’s tachograph device showed he ignored a 40mph advisory speed limit due to the weather and traffic jam.
He only braked one second before impact with the rear of Mr Mehmood’s Toyota taxi, which was shunted into the rear of a lorry.
Damian Nolan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court the taxi had sustained ‘devastating crush damage on all sides’ and had been rotated 180 degrees in the road.
Burns’ lorry came to rest between lanes two and three of the motorway.
Senior First Officer Jamie Fernandes, 24, left, and Captain Matthew Greenhalgh, 28, were passengers in a taxi when it was in a collision with two lorries.
Describing the miracle survival of the taxi driver, Mr Nolan said a police officer ‘heard a voice shouting for help’.
He said: ‘At first, he couldn’t see anyone before a hand then appeared from the wreckage. A head then appeared. It was Mr Mehmood who was conscious and breathing. Remarkably, he had survived the impact’.
Both pilots, who had fallen asleep during the taxi journey, suffered traumatic head injuries and ‘other multiple injuries’.
The court heard Burns was not on his phone or under the influence of drink and drugs. Another driver speculated it was ‘as if he had fallen asleep’ at the wheel.
Burns, of Upton, Wirral, was ‘riven with remorse’ and has suffered mental health difficulties since the tragedy, his barrister Michael Hayton, KC, said.
While he was suspected of having fallen asleep at the wheel, his barrister claimed he was ‘effectively on autopilot’ and ‘did not register what was ahead of him until it was far, far too late’.
Mr Hayton said Burns had never previously had an accident in 30 years as a commercial driver – although he did receive three penalty points in 2021 for carrying an unsafe load.
But the court heard he had 28 previous convictions, mostly from the 1980s and 1990s, and received suspended prison sentences for arson and assault.
Anthony Burns, pictured outside Warrington Magistrates’ Court, had 28 previous criminal convictions but a clean driving record except three points for carrying an unsafe load.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland, KC, said the collision was a ‘dreadful, tragic episode’ which had left an ‘enduring impact’ on both sets of bereaved families and Mr Mehmood.
As well as the jail sentence, Burns was banned from driving for 150 months and must pass an extended retest.
The M62 where the crash happened normally has a 70mph speed limit – but was subject to a 40mph advisory limit ahead of queuing traffic because the carriageway was closed further ahead due to an earlier collision and a queue had built up.
The tragedy happened during ‘torrential rain and spray’.
Despite the advisory reduced speed limit, Burns’ lorry had been travelling at 56mph and is estimated to have struck the taxi at 50mph.
Mr Nolan said he is only estimated to have braked one second before the collision despite queuing traffic being visible for 500 metres.
Judge Medland said Burns had ‘shown a lack of attention for a substantial period of time’ before the crash.
He told the families of Mr Fernandes and Mr Greenhalgh: ‘My sympathy and commiseration lies with each of you’.
Burns gave an indication of guilty pleas during an earlier hearing before Warrington Magistrates’ Court in November, also attended by members of the pilots’ families including Mrs Greenhalgh.
He arrested the day after the tragedy on 12 July 2024 but gave no comment to all questions asked and no explanation for the manner of his driving.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Joseph Woodyatt, of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: ‘The impact of Anthony Burns’ dangerous driving on that day was fatal and tragic.
‘Two men, with their lives ahead of them, were killed at the scene.
‘The taxi driver, luckily, was not seriously injured but has no doubt been seriously impacted by the events of that day.
‘Burns has provided no explanation whatsoever for his role in the tragedy. Why he failed to brake as he approached the queue of traffic is a mystery.
‘Victim Personal Statements from the families movingly described the impact of the crash on them.
‘The Crown Prosecution Service would like to express our condolences to them for their loss. We would also like to thank the witnesses who have helped us build this prosecution and bring Anthony Burns to justice.’
In a tribute after his death, Mr Greenhalgh’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.’
They added: ‘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 are lost without you. You are forever in our hearts.’
The family of Mr Fernandes, who was going through the interview process to become a long haul pilot with British Airways, said: ‘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 had 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.’
After the tragedy Ryanair said it would erect a plaque in memory of the two pilots at the East Midlands Training Centre and also establish the ‘Matt Greenhalgh and Jamie Fernandes Memorial Award’, to be presented to the top performing cadet each year.
