An uninsured driver with no licence sped a BMW through a 30mph zone before killing a newborn baby who was on his first ever family outing.
James Paul Davis, 35, killed 18-day-old Ciaran Leigh Morris on April 4, 2021. Davis was driving a BMW at 67mph in a 30mph zone moments before he smashed into the pram being wheeled by parents Camaron Morris and Codie Holyman.
The young parents, both aged 18 at the time, watched in horror as the car mounted the kerb and pinned the pram against a wall in Walsall. Horrified witnesses desperately tried to revive the baby by performing road-side CPR but he died hours later in hospital from his catastrophic injuries.
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Dad-of-one Davis, of Bloxwich, West Midlands, went on trial accused of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured. On Friday (April 8), he was found guilty of both charges after a jury spent two hours and six minutes deliberating before returning their unanimous verdicts.
He was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison and banned from driving for seven years and three months. Jurors heard previously how Davis claimed he was only doing 20mph and suffered from a heart problem which caused him to "black out" moments before the crash.
In the aftermath of the horror smash, frantic dad Camaron was heard to scream at Davis: "You just killed my son." Both parents also cried out “the baby, the baby” as they frantically tried to revive their son on the pavement. Davis was later found to have traces of cannabis in his system after he was arrested at his girlfriend's house shortly after the crash.
Police bodycam footage played to the court showed Davis telling PC Tom Rust as he was arrested: "A baby, f***s sake. I'm sorry bab. I blacked out, I was doing 20mph. I weren’t even speeding or nothing. I blacked out. I ain't killed no one on purpose. F***ing hell man.
"Injuries to my legs are from running through the bushes. I knew I passed because I knew it was happening, it was like a dream. I was thinking I’d wake up in a minute. I heard the banging and that. When it all stopped, I was in the car and I thought what's happening like.
"I was surrounded by people. My mate said I was passed out behind the wheel. If I was speeding I would be in some state wouldn't I?
"I accept I'm going to prison if somebody’s died. People were screaming 'I killed a baby' so I just wanted to see my baby before I go."
Mum Codie suffered a broken collar bone and a bruised foot and has constant back pain as a result of the crash.
Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield QC, said: “April 4 last year was a time of lockdown but it was a lovely day and people took advantage of being outdoors. Two of those were Codie Holyman and Camaron Morris.
"They had much to be happy about. They were with friends. They were also with baby Ciaran who they had just two weeks earlier.
“They were taking him out in his new pram. They could be forgiven for believing that their future was as bright as the weather that day. I am sorry to say that in the space of a few terrible moments, all that was taken away from them. It is your actions that were responsible for that.
“You were driving along Brownhills High Street at around 4pm. The road was straight and clear in your direction. Several factors reveal the attitude towards driving and the responsibility – or lack of it – towards others. No more than 20 seconds earlier you were doing a speed of 67mph, in a 30mph zone.
“The car you drove was not registered or insured. You knew that, but you still chose to drive anyway. You also regarding the seat belt rules as something you did not have to bother with. You were content to drive even though you had 1.7mcg of cannabis in your system.
“The cannabis you smoked had impaired you as demonstrated with you failing three of the four aspects of the Field Impairment Test. You allowed yourself to be distracted. That is the conclusion to draw from the verdicts.
“I am sure it was something to do with your phone. What you were seen to do with your phone was highly suspicious.
“Codie suffered a broken collarbone and Ciaran’s push chair was pinned in front of your car and the shop wall. Ciaran suffered injuries he couldn’t survive and his life ended.
“You fled the scene and offered no words of comfort or any apology or explanation. You claimed you had blacked out due to a coughing fit, the medical evidence made clear how unlikely that was."
The court was told Ciaran's mum Codie's broken collarbone on the day didn't even register and that she is now "fearful of every passing car". She said her heart is "forever missing a precious piece".
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