Latest news with #dangerousdriving
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Marius Ionut Dencea jailed after killing partner in M180 crash
A father who killed his partner and left their toddler with a brain injury after a high-speed crash on a motorway has been jailed for nine Pitigoi, 34, and their 18-month-old son were in the back of a car driven by Marius Ionut Dencea when the vehicle left the M180 and hit a tree near Barnetby, North Lincolnshire, at 11:15 GMT on 5 mother and son were not wearing a seatbelt and the toddler was not in a child seat, Hull Crown Court 35, of Berkeley Street in Scunthorpe, previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The court heard the car had been travelling at 88mph (141km/h) and was not Jeremy Evans said Ms Pitigoi died in hospital from her injuries, while their son was in intensive care for 10 family were driving home after spending the night at a relative's in Grimsby following a party. Mr Evans said the road conditions were poor with "slush present on the third lane" in which Dencea was driving at excessive footage played in court showed Dencea's black Mitsubishi travelling on the outside lane and then moments later was seen off the carriageway on the embankment, next to the hard shoulder, flipped on its emergency services arrived, one officer "located a small child as he reached through a hole in the wreckage to the nearside", Mr Evans added."It became apparent there was no child seat or safety restraint in the vehicle."Mr Evans said the child suffered multiple serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, a broken jaw in two places and a skull fracture. History of offences Dencea's barrister, Dale Brooks, told the court his client had made "desperate attempts to try to help his family" at the scene."He is utterly distraught by what happened on that day and by what he did," said Mr Brooks."Undoubtedly, the greatest punishment on him is living with the guilt of what he's done, it will be a substantial burden he will have to carry."The barrister told the court the child had made a "miraculous recovery".However, passing sentence, Judge Mark Bury said the two-year-old had a "significant risk of developing neurological conditions".The court heard Dencea, who was also banned from driving for 12 and a half years, had a history of road traffic offences - six in the UK and one in Spain. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Chilling footage shows car chasing e-bikes before horror crash which killed mother-of-one, 25: Drug dealer is cleared of murder
A mother and her boyfriend are chased along a road on their e-bike by a Land Rover which was used as a 'weapon' to knock them off, killing her and seriously injuring him. The footage of Keaton Muldoon at the wheel of the two-and-a-half tonne 4X4 was released yesterday after the drug dealer, who has previously admitted death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, was cleared of Alana Amrstrong's murder. The mother-of-one died last November in a country lane outside Pleasley, Derbyshire, when she 'went over the whole car' after Muldoon, 23, made five attempts to ram the bike she was riding, a jury heard. Det Con Natalie Barnett, from Derbyshire Police's major crime unit, told the court a doorbell camera captured Ms Armstrong, 25, and Mr Newton-Kay leaving an address in Tibshelf, Derbyshire, that evening on one electric bike, with another man, James Gilbert, on a separate bike. The two CCTV clips released by police were shown to the jury at Derby Crown Court and show the two bikes being 'followed' by the vehicle on the unlit lane. The court heard the last piece of footage was captured one minute before GPS from Mr Newton-Kay's phone showed his bike had stopped at the site of the crash. DC Barnett said the GPS data showed that Mr Newton-Kay's bike, with Ms Armstrong riding pillion, went past Muldoon's vehicle,which was stopped in a layby, just before 20:00 GMT. The officer said: 'The movements show that the phone has then gone back towards the lay-by. 'The phones and the bikes are then beginning to move back down Sampsons Lane towards the incident.' Ms Armstrong, who had a six-year-old son, suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Newton-Kay, was taken to hospital where he later had to have his leg amputated below the knee. Following the incident, Muldoon drove off from the scene without stopping, juors heard. He handed himself into police the following week after a police media appeal. During his police interview he denied being the driver at the time of the collision and named another person he said was responsible. Muldoon, 23, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was cleared of murder and causing Mr Newton-Kay grievous bodily harm with intent. He pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving before his trial began in May. His sentencing date has not been fixed by the court. Muldoon, who the court heard was a drug dealer, told the jury of 11 women and one man on Tuesday that he 'did not know' he had hit anyone on the evening of November 26 last year, and thought he had overtaken Mr Newton-Kay's bike at a passing point. But the prosecution alleged that Muldoon 'pursued' the couple, and Mr Gilbert on the second electric bike after the trio had stopped near the defendant's 4x4 at the lay-by. Sally Howes KC, prosecuting, said Muldoon then started chasing the two bikes. She said the 'close pursuit', which lasted for 1.1 miles, ended up with Muldoon using his 'much larger, heavier' Land Rover Discovery Mk3 as a 'weapon' and knocking his victims from the bike before leaving them for dead. Jurors were told that in the immediate aftermath of the collision, he was heard by a woman he had earlier been selling the drugs to saying: 'Oh s***. Oh for f**** sake. I was only meant to knock them off the bike.' Mr Newton-Kay told police Muldoon rammed his bike four times before succeeding in knocking them off on the fifth attempt. Describing his recollection of the collision, Ms Howes told the court: 'He said he watched Alana go over the bonnet and roll over the whole car, and she had ended up flying backwards and watched her go over the whole car.' Mr Newton-Kay said the vehicle then drove over him, before continuing its pursuit of Mr Gilbert. Ms Howes said he told the police he managed to just avoid also being knocked off by riding up grass banking at the side of the road, with the Land Rover Discovery then 'flying past' and driving away. She added: 'He managed to gather his wits and flew back down the lane in search of friends', where he found the pair lying in the road. The defendant told the court he feared he was going to be robbed but did not 'chase' the Sur-Ron off-road bike for more than a mile from the lay-by in Sampsons Lane, Pleasley. Muldoon, who was father to a newborn baby at the time of the collision, told the court he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover at the time of the collision because he was 'scared' about the murder investigation. He told the jury earlier this week: 'My head was all over, I didn't know what to think. 'I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there.' Detective Constable Stevie Barker, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who was the officer in the case, said: 'Alana was just 25 when she died, leaving her son without his mum, and her family grieving the loss of a young woman who had so much life ahead of her. 'The consequences of Muldoon's behaviour on that night have led to the death of Alana and a lifetime of grief for her family. In addition, Jordan, the rider of the bike, also suffered life-changing injuries. 'He then didn't even have the decency to admit what he had done in interview, instead trying to put the blame on someone else. It was months later before he accepted that he was the driver of the vehicle. 'My thoughts – and those of all of the officers involved in this tragic case- remain with the families of Alana and Jordan.'
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Dudley man jailed for killing Wigan lorry driver in M6 crash
A man has been jailed after he admitted killing a lorry driver in a crash on the M6 in Tamou, from Wigan, got out of his HGV after it broke down between junctions 15 and 16, near Stoke-on-Trent, on 27 died when a car, a Toyota Avensis, driven by 22-year-old Ghulam Haider, crashed into the lorry shortly before 22:00 GMT that of North Street, Dudley, was jailed for nine years and four months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty last month to causing death by dangerous driving. He will also be banned from driving for five years when he is released from Insp Scot McGrath, of Staffordshire Police, said officers' thoughts remained with Mr Tamou's family."This is a tragic case of a completely avoidable death on our roads which has left a family without their loved one," he added. Mr Tamou, 58, was a rugby player, coach and referee who moved to the UK from New Zealand more than 30 years his death, his family described him as a devoted husband, father to six children and grandfather to five a post on X, Salford Red Devils Women's squad said Mr Tamou was an "avid supporter" of the side, for which his daughter played. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Alana Armstrong: Driver cleared of murdering woman who was knocked off electric motorbike
A driver has been acquitted of murdering a 25-year-old mother who was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike. Alana Armstrong, who had a six-year-old son, died at the scene on a country lane in Pleasley, Derbyshire. Her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, who was riding the electric motorbike, had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash. Prosecutors alleged that Keaton Muldoon had "pursued" the couple on 26 November 2024 but he was found not guilty of murder following a trial at Derby Crown Court. The 23-year-old told the jury he "did not know" he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery and thought he had overtaken the pair. Muldoon said he feared he was going to be robbed but did not "chase" the Sur-Ron off-road bike after it had stopped by his 4x4 at a lay-by. He had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving before the trial began in May. The jury also cleared Muldoon of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Newton-Kay. Muldoon - who the court heard was a drug dealer - was the father to a newborn baby at the time of the collision. He said he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover when the crash happened because he was "scared" about the murder investigation. Earlier this week, he told the jury: "My head was all over I didn't know what to think. "I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there."
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent man charged over pedestrian's hit-and-run death
A man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a pedestrian was killed in a Salt, 20, has also been charged with failing to stop after a crash, failing to report a crash, and driving without insurance or a is accused over the death of Christopher Deaville, 51, who was killed when he was struck by a car on Newcastle Lane in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, at about 21:00 BST on 11 Salt, from Stoke-on-Trent, was due to appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Friday, Staffordshire Police said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
