Driver who killed eight-month-old baby in pram has sentence reduced
A driver who struck and killed an eight-month-old baby in her pram outside a hospital has had her prison sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal, in what judges described as a 'truly tragic' case.
Bridget Curtis pressed down on the accelerator of her automatic BMW 520d car after stopping outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on June 21 2023, causing it to mount a kerb and collide with the pushchair of Mabli Cariad Hall.
Mabli, who had just said a final goodbye to her paternal grandmother Betty Hall, who was receiving end-of-life care at the hospital, sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital days later.
Curtis, who was 70 at the time of the offence and is now 71, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last September and was jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court in January.
At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, her barrister said the sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and should be reduced, stating that the case concerned a 'lapse of concentration'.
Three senior judges ruled that Curtis's sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and reduced it to one of three years, while increasing her disqualification from driving from six years to seven-and-a-half years.
Mr Justice Butcher, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Judge Richard Marks KC, said: 'We say at once that this is a truly tragic case.
'We have read the very moving victim personal statements of Mabli's parents, expressing their grief at the death of their beloved baby.
'No one could fail to sympathise with them for the appalling loss that they have sustained.'
Curtis, who attended the appeal via video link from HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire and sat in a wheelchair throughout, had no previous convictions at the time of the incident and had held a clean driving licence for more than 50 years.
Her sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court heard that on the day of the collision, she had driven her daughter to an outpatient appointment at the hospital.
When her daughter struggled to find her handbag in the rear of the car, Curtis unlocked the door and turned around to assist her.
But as she did so, she pressed down on the accelerator of her car, which had been left running and was not in park mode.
The car reached speeds of more than 29mph and travelled 28 metres in around four seconds, mounting the kerb of a grass seating area and causing Mabli to be thrown out of her pushchair.
The car only stopped when it collided with a tree, having also caused injuries to Mabli's father Rob Hall.
Mabli, the youngest of six siblings, received treatment at the Withybush Hospital, as well as hospitals in Cardiff and Bristol, dying in the arms of her parents on June 25.
Her mother, Gwen Hall, told the sentencing hearing that her daughter was 'so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life'.
She said: 'She hadn't crawled yet. She had said 'Mama' for the first time only the day before. We had so much planned with her.
'It was nowhere near the time for her to be taken away from us. She was my baby. My eight-month-old baby.'
John Dye, for Curtis, told Swansea Crown Court that she was a mother-of-four and grandmother of 10, who was 'absolutely devastated' by the incident.
Appearing again for Curtis at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Mr Dye said: 'This is a tragic case, but the issue really was one of pedal confusion.'
He continued: 'Objectively, this is clearly dangerous driving, but in terms of culpability, these four seconds of driving were more akin to, maybe not a momentary lapse, but a lapse of concentration.'
Craig Jones, for the Crown Prosecution Service, made no oral submissions to the court.
Reducing the sentence, Mr Justice Butcher said: 'True it is that the appellant did not intend to cause any harm, and true also that the mistake was of a short duration, but the driving was well over the threshold of dangerousness.'
He continued that Curtis would have known that she had stopped 'in a busy area outside a hospital with potentially very vulnerable pedestrians around', and that four or five seconds 'is far from being a negligible duration'.
He added that the court accepted that Curtis's remorse was 'genuine', stating: 'It was inattention and confusion as to which pedal she was pressing that caused this tragedy.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Pembrokeshire Herald
33 minutes ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Sentence reduced for driver who caused baby's death outside Withybush Hospital
A WOMAN who caused the death of an eight-month-old baby outside Withybush Hospital has had her sentence reduced following an appeal. Bridget Curtis, aged 71, was originally sentenced to four years in prison in January for causing the death of Mabli Cariad Hall by dangerous driving. Curtis was also disqualified from driving for eight years. Bridget Curtis leaves court (Pic: BBC) The tragic incident took place on June 21, 2023, when Mabli was struck by a white BMW driven by Curtis, who had been at the hospital attending an outpatient appointment with her daughter. The court heard that Curtis had stopped the vehicle outside the hospital building. While attempting to help her daughter retrieve a handbag from the back of the car, Curtis inadvertently pressed the accelerator while the car was still running and not in park mode, causing the vehicle to accelerate rapidly to a speed of 29mph. The car following the accident at Withybush General Hospital, Haverfordwest (Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald) The car struck Mabli, who was in a pram with her father, Robert Hall, and his brother, Stephen. Mabli was airlifted initially to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff before being transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where she died from severe traumatic brain injuries four days later. During the initial sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, Mabli's family expressed profound grief, describing life without her as 'horrendous.' Her mother, Gwen Hall, poignantly spoke of Mabli as 'so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life.' Curtis, who had held a clean driving licence for over 50 years and had no previous convictions, appeared via video link from HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire for her appeal. Her barrister, John Dye, argued the incident was the result of a 'lapse of concentration,' describing Curtis as 'absolutely devastated.' On Tuesday, three judges at the Court of Appeal ruled Curtis' original sentence was 'manifestly excessive,' reducing it to three years, with a seven-and-a-half-year driving ban. In response, Mabli's family expressed disappointment in the sentence reduction but acknowledged the court's decision to uphold the custodial sentence. 'We still face a life sentence without her,' they said in a statement. 'We again thank everyone who has supported us and helped ensure justice for Mabli Cariad.'
Wales Online
6 hours ago
- Wales Online
Driver who killed eight-month-old baby in pram has sentence reduced
Driver who killed eight-month-old baby in pram has sentence reduced Bridget Curtis pressed down on the accelerator of her car after stopping outside Withybush Hospital, killing Mabli Cariad Hall who was sitting in her pushchair Bridget Curtis killed Mabli Cariad Hall after she pressed down on the accelerator of her automatic BMW 520d car after stopping outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on June 21, 2023 (Image: WALES NEWS SERVICE ) A driver who struck and killed an eight-month-old baby in her pram outside a hospital has had her prison sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal, in what judges described as a "truly tragic" case. Bridget Curtis pressed down on the accelerator of her automatic BMW 520d car after stopping outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on June 21 2023, causing it to mount a kerb and collide with the pushchair of Mabli Cariad Hall. Mabli, who had just said a final goodbye to her paternal grandmother Betty Hall, who was receiving end-of-life care at the hospital, sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital days later. Eight-month-old Mabli Cariad Hall, who died when she was struck in her pushchair by driver Bridget Curtis outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in June 2023. (Image: Copyright remains with handout provider ) Curtis, who was 69 at the time of the offence and is now 71, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last September and was jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court in January. At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, her barrister said the sentence was "manifestly excessive" and should be reduced, stating that the case concerned a "lapse of concentration." Article continues below Three senior judges ruled that Curtis's sentence was "manifestly excessive" and reduced it to one of three years, while increasing her disqualification from driving from six years to seven-and-a-half years. Mr Justice Butcher, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Judge Richard Marks KC, said: "We say at once that this is a truly tragic case. "We have read the very moving victim personal statements of Mabli's parents, expressing their grief at the death of their beloved baby. "No one could fail to sympathise with them for the appalling loss that they have sustained." Curtis, who attended the appeal via video link from HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire and sat in a wheelchair throughout, had no previous convictions at the time of the incident and had held a clean driving licence for more than 50 years. Her sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court heard that on the day of the collision she had driven her daughter to an outpatient appointment at the hospital. When her daughter struggled to find her handbag in the rear of the car, Curtis unlocked the door and turned around to assist her. But as she did so, she pressed down on the accelerator of her car, which had been left running and was not in park mode. The car reached speeds of more than 29mph and travelled 28 metres in around four seconds, mounting the kerb of a grass seating area and causing Mabli to be thrown out of her pushchair. The car only stopped when it collided with a tree, having also caused injuries to Mabli's father Rob Hall. Mabli, the youngest of six siblings, received treatment at the Withybush Hospital, as well as hospitals in Cardiff and Bristol, dying in the arms of her parents on June 25. Her mother, Gwen Hall, told the sentencing hearing that her daughter was "so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life." Mabli Cariad Hall was killed (Image: PA Media ) She said: "She hadn't crawled yet. She had said 'Mama' for the first time only the day before. We had so much planned with her. "It was nowhere near the time for her to be taken away from us. She was my baby. My eight-month-old baby." John Dye, for Curtis, told Swansea Crown Court that she was a mother-of-four and grandmother of 10, who was "absolutely devastated" by the incident. Appearing again for Curtis at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Mr Dye said: "This is a tragic case, but the issue really was one of pedal confusion." He continued: "Objectively, this is clearly dangerous driving, but in terms of culpability, these four seconds of driving were more akin to, maybe not a momentary lapse, but a lapse of concentration." Craig Jones, for the Crown Prosecution Service, made no oral submissions to the court. Reducing the sentence, Mr Justice Butcher said: "True it is that the appellant did not intend to cause any harm, and true also that the mistake was of a short duration, but the driving was well over the threshold of dangerousness." He continued that Curtis would have known that she had stopped "in a busy area outside a hospital with potentially very vulnerable pedestrians around", and that four or five seconds "is far from being a negligible duration." Article continues below He added that the court accepted that Curtis's remorse was "genuine", stating: "It was inattention and confusion as to which pedal she was pressing that caused this tragedy."
ITV News
6 hours ago
- ITV News
Driver who killed eight-month-old baby in pram has sentence reduced
A driver who struck and killed an eight-month-old baby in her pram outside a hospital has had her prison sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal, in what judges described as a 'truly tragic' case. Bridget Curtis pressed down on the accelerator of her automatic BMW 520d car after stopping outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on June 21 2023, causing it to mount a kerb and collide with the pushchair of Mabli Cariad Hall. Mabli, who had just said a final goodbye to her paternal grandmother Betty Hall, who was receiving end-of-life care at the hospital, sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital days later. Curtis, who was 70 at the time of the offence and is now 71, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last September and was jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court in January. At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, her barrister said the sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and should be reduced, stating that the case concerned a 'lapse of concentration'. Three senior judges ruled that Curtis's sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and reduced it to one of three years, while increasing her disqualification from driving from six years to seven-and-a-half years. Mr Justice Butcher, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Judge Richard Marks KC, said: 'We say at once that this is a truly tragic case. 'We have read the very moving victim personal statements of Mabli's parents, expressing their grief at the death of their beloved baby. 'No one could fail to sympathise with them for the appalling loss that they have sustained.' Curtis, who attended the appeal via video link from HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire and sat in a wheelchair throughout, had no previous convictions at the time of the incident and had held a clean driving licence for more than 50 years. Her sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court heard that on the day of the collision, she had driven her daughter to an outpatient appointment at the hospital. When her daughter struggled to find her handbag in the rear of the car, Curtis unlocked the door and turned around to assist her. But as she did so, she pressed down on the accelerator of her car, which had been left running and was not in park mode. The car reached speeds of more than 29mph and travelled 28 metres in around four seconds, mounting the kerb of a grass seating area and causing Mabli to be thrown out of her pushchair. The car only stopped when it collided with a tree, having also caused injuries to Mabli's father Rob Hall. Mabli, the youngest of six siblings, received treatment at the Withybush Hospital, as well as hospitals in Cardiff and Bristol, dying in the arms of her parents on June 25. Her mother, Gwen Hall, told the sentencing hearing that her daughter was 'so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life'. She said: 'She hadn't crawled yet. She had said 'Mama' for the first time only the day before. We had so much planned with her. 'It was nowhere near the time for her to be taken away from us. She was my baby. My eight-month-old baby.' John Dye, for Curtis, told Swansea Crown Court that she was a mother-of-four and grandmother of 10, who was 'absolutely devastated' by the incident. Appearing again for Curtis at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Mr Dye said: 'This is a tragic case, but the issue really was one of pedal confusion.' He continued: 'Objectively, this is clearly dangerous driving, but in terms of culpability, these four seconds of driving were more akin to, maybe not a momentary lapse, but a lapse of concentration.' Craig Jones, for the Crown Prosecution Service, made no oral submissions to the court. Reducing the sentence, Mr Justice Butcher said: 'True it is that the appellant did not intend to cause any harm, and true also that the mistake was of a short duration, but the driving was well over the threshold of dangerousness.' He continued that Curtis would have known that she had stopped 'in a busy area outside a hospital with potentially very vulnerable pedestrians around', and that four or five seconds 'is far from being a negligible duration'. He added that the court accepted that Curtis's remorse was 'genuine', stating: 'It was inattention and confusion as to which pedal she was pressing that caused this tragedy.'
