Hit-and-run driver left cyclist dying by road in Crewe

A motorist who struck a cyclist and then sped away, leaving her to die by the roadside, has been convicted of causing her death by dangerous driving.

Nathan Schultz did not stop after hitting Agniszka Pocztowska as she rode in Crewe, Cheshire, in September 2020.

Minutes later, Schultz hit another cyclist, knocking the man off his bike and leaving him with minor injuries.

The 22-year-old, of Stoke-on-Trent, was in Chester Crown Court on Thursday and is due to be sentenced on 3 March.

He had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and two counts of failing to stop following a collision.

The four-day trial heard Schultz sped off towards the M6 after the crashes.

Mother-of-three Mrs Pocztowska, 41, who was cycling to work, sustained fatal injuries and died shortly after the collision in Hungerford Road at 06:55 BST on 14 September.

Schultz hit the second cyclist, 53, as the victim rode along Crewe Road, in Haslington, said Cheshire Police.

The car Schultz was driving was later found abandoned on a road in Trent Vale, Staffordshire.

Kasey Wrench, a passenger, was also arrested in connection with the crashes.

The 21-year-old, of Epping Road, Trent Vale, later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

He was previously sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 24 months and 200 hours' unpaid work.

After his arrest, Schultz, of Ellgreave Street, Burslem, refused to answer any questions and pretended to be asleep when asked to provide a breath sample, police said.

PC Robin Fisher, of Cheshire Police's serious and complex collision investigation unit, said: "Agnieszka was a loving wife and a devoted mum to her three children.

"She left home that morning and was cycling to work, but as a result of the actions taken by Schultz and Wrench she never arrived.

"The pair are both responsible for her death; Schultz was driving the car that hit her and Wrench was sat in the passenger seat.

"They were both aware that they had hit Agniszka, but rather than stop at the scene to help her, they purposefully chose to drive off and left her to die at the side of the road."

Insp Helen Cooper said she hoped the guilty verdict would provide Ms Pocztowska's family with some form of closure.

"The pain and suffering that they have endured is unimaginable and our thoughts are with them at this time," she said.

"This has been one of the most difficult cases that I have ever dealt with in my whole career at Cheshire Constabulary," the inspector added.

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