The family of a 26-year-old woman who died in a head-on crash on the A36 at Claverton have paid tribute to her after two drivers were jailed.
Ella Cook was killed in the collision in April 2023 | Photo: Family handout
Ella Cook, from Warminster, died following the collision on 15th April 2023.
Bristol Crown Court was told Alfie Cook, who was driving a BMW, and Lewis Glasby, who was driving a Ford Fiesta, had been racing each other before the crash.
The collision happened when the BMW was involved in a head-on crash with a Ford Fiesta being driven by Ella Cook.
Glasby, 23, of The Beeches in Warminster, and Cook, 22, of Brook Street in Warminster, both admitted causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving related to Toby Harridge and Nicole Colliss, who were passengers in Alfie Cook’s vehicle.
Cook, who is not related to Ella, was sentenced on Friday 10th April to nine years and four months in prison. Glasby was jailed for nine years.
Both men will be banned from driving for five years after their release and must pass an extended test before getting their licences back.
Alfie Cook and Lewis Glasby were captured on CCTV travelling at speed on the A36 | Photo © Avon & Somerset Police
On behalf of Ella’s family, her fiancé Kai Poa-Tams said: “It has been incredibly difficult to find words for Ella, because the love I feel for her, and the love her family and friends feel, is far greater than anything words can hold.
“Ella was a deeply loving partner, daughter, sister and friend. She gave herself completely to the people she cared about, always putting others first with a warmth that made everyone feel safe, valued and understood.
“She had a natural way of bringing people together, and her kindness left a lasting mark on everyone lucky enough to know her.
“She was also immensely talented and creative, with an artistic spirit that showed in so many parts of her life.
“Whether through the way she expressed herself or the little touches she brought into everyday moments, Ella made the world around her brighter, more thoughtful, and more beautiful.
“Alongside this, she had a wicked sense of humour, playful, quick, and sometimes perfectly silly, that filled our days with tummy-aching laughter.
“Ella was also a valued and dedicated member of staff at NHS Blood and Transplant, progressing through her career with remarkable determination.
“In a way that feels both heartbreaking and extraordinary, her work came full circle—she received donated blood after the collision, blood that she herself had helped process earlier that very day.
“That was Ella: giving to others, right until the very end. From the moment we met, everything just clicked. It was instant, effortless, and real.
“From that day on, our lives became one. We were never just two separate people; we were a team, in everything we did. We had planned a life together full of love and family.
“We were going to get married, to build a home, and to raise children of our own. We dreamed of sharing time with her parents, and with her brother and sisters’ children, creating a life full of closeness and joy.
“Our children would have been the luckiest in the world to have Ella as their parent, because she would have given them the same boundless love she gave to me.
“In one of our anniversary cards, Ella wrote: ‘Here’s to more years of us, filled with midnight kitchen dances, weird TV shows we get addicted to, stormy Cornish beach trips, far too many burgers, and a whole lot more love.’
“That was us. We fell more in love every day, and every day we felt lucky to have each other. I would give anything for just one more day with her.
“Ella was truly one of a kind. She was warm, loving, creative, and full of life—and the world feels immeasurably emptier without her.”
Designated Investigating Officer Emma Ling said: “Both Alfie Cook and Lewis Glasby were driving well in excess of the speed limit before the fatal collision occurred.
“Excessive speed is one of the Fatal Five causes that lead to most death and serious injury collisions in this country.
“Both men deliberately ignored the speed limits and drove dangerously along a busy A-road, with seemingly little thought of the tragic consequences that could, and sadly did, happen.
“They have both received substantial prison sentences and driving disqualifications as a result.
“Our thoughts are with Ella’s family, who have been left devastated by what has happened.”
