Uninsured hit-and-run driver who killed mum-of-three cycling to work is jailed for 10 years

An uninsured driver without a license has been sentenced to prison after hitting and killing a cyclist before fleeing.

Nathan Shultz, 22, had been attending a party before killing mother-of-three Agnieszka Pocztowska, 41, as she cycled to work in Crewe, Cheshire, in September 2020.

Schultz, from Middleport in Stoke-on-Trent, drove on despite his windshield being shattered, but then went back to the crime scene to see what he had done.

However, instead of stopping to help his victim, who was engaged to be married, he left her for dead by the side of Hungerford Road.

Schultz continued driving the silver Ford Focus and struck a second cyclist on Crewe Road, Haslington, although the man was not seriously injured.

He then switched seats with his 21-year-old passenger, Kasey Wrench, and the Focus was later found abandoned in Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent.

He tried to avoid detection by dumping some clothes in the woods and taking a taxi to his mother’s house in Middleport. But he was linked to the fatal collision through CCTV, fiber optic transmission, DNA and broken glass.

In a September 2021 victim impact statement, Ms. Pocztowska’s fiancé, Marek Kida, described her as someone with a “golden heart.”

Mr. Kida said, “She was a beautiful, caring and passionate person.”

He added that he felt his whole world had ended when she died and that he was “totally devastated” and unable to function, the court heard.

He remembered telling their three children and the rest of the family what had happened. He also told how he and Mrs. Pocztowska got engaged and how she bought her wedding dress.

Shultz was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after a four-day trial at Chester Crown Court in January. On Wednesday, he received a 10-year prison sentence and a 10-year driving ban.

Police arrested Shultz after a manhunt was launched following the crash.

Wrench, from Trent Vale, was also arrested. Last December, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a two-year driving ban after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a license and driving without insurance.

Shultz was not only convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, but also pleaded guilty to causing death by driving without insurance and causing death by driving without a license.

Nathan Shultz, 22, of Middleport in Stoke-on-Trent received a 10-year prison sentence and a 10-year driving ban

He also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a license, driving without insurance, two counts of failure to stop after an accident, and then two counts of failure to report an accident.

Adam Watkins, mitigating, said there was no direct evidence that Shultz had consumed alcohol or direct evidence of impairment. He said his client was arrested at about 9:00 am, two hours after the hit-and-run, and no police officer noticed he was drunk.

He said Shultz was the “man of the family before his time” after losing his father, grandfather and uncle. Mr Watkins added: ‘He showed levels of maturity that were absent on September 14, 2020.

“There is evidence of regret. He’s still a young man. He cannot undo what he has done. He cannot turn back the clock. He will have to serve the appropriate punishment.’

Judge Michael Leeming said: ‘The fatal collision occurred shortly before 7am. Visibility was good. The road surface was dry.

“Agnieszka was hit head-on by your car, thrown onto the hood and then onto the roof of the vehicle before coming to a stop. She suffered catastrophic injuries. She was taken to hospital. Extensive CPR attempts were made, but she was pronounced dead.

“CCTV showed you driving. There was no apparent reason why you were on the wrong side of the road. The case was brought because you were drunk at the time. She was there to be seen and should have been seen by any prudent and skilled driver.

“There was a blatant disregard for the rules of the road – driving on the wrong side of the road for no apparent reason, no driver’s license, no insurance, having consumed alcohol, a complete disregard for the danger that would thus create to others.”