Death crash joyrider gets 5 years

A TEENAGE joyrider who was high on the drug crack and was being chased by police when he caused an accident which led to the death of an 11-month old baby was sentenced to five years in a young offenders' insitution yesterday.

Nottingham Crown Court was told that Darren Rawson, 19, had stolen a Vauxhall Nova and was touring Derby in search of a crack dealer on 17 July this year.

He had taken the cocaine-based drug twice in the hours before the crash. He ploughed into the car where Daniel Smalley was in the back after ignoring a Give Way sign while being followed by a police patrol car through a 30mph zone in a council estate in Sinfin, Derby, where Daniel's family lived.

John Warren, for the prosecution, said Daniel was sitting on his father's knee on the back seat. He said: 'The impact snatched the baby from his father's grip, and he was hurled out of the rear off-side window. One of the police officers who saw it happen said the baby emerged from the car like a doll, bounced once on the road, and then came to rest.'

Daniel died two weeks later.

At an earlier court hearing Rawson publicly apologised, saying: 'I am very sorry for what I have done. I did not realise taking cars could cause so much damage and injury. Although it is too late, I have learned my lesson.'

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Curtis said that at the time of the baby's death Rawson was serving a driving disqualification for stealing cars and reckless driving. He told Rawson: 'Your actions were persistent and deliberate. You drove much too fast, ignored a Give Way sign, and a child was killed and serious injury done to the driver of that car.'

The judge said he wanted to make it clear to the court that a recent Act of Parliament restricted him to imposing a maximum sentence of five years.

As well as five years' detention for causing death by dangerous driving, which he admitted, Rawson, of no fixed address, was was banned from driving for six years. He was sentenced to six months, to run consecutively, for taking a car without the owner's consent and driving while disqualified.