Fresh evidence delays trial of man accused of killing baby in Tenby car park
A 34-year-old motorist has appeared before Swansea Crown Court charged with killing baby Sophia Keleman in Tenby's multi-storey car park with the cocaine derivative benzoylecgonine in his system.
Speaking to the court via a Romanian interpreter, Flaviu Naghi of Rondini Avenue, Luton, denied two charges of causing the child's death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drugs when he was brought before Judge Catherine Richards sitting at Swansea Crown Court.
The Crown alleges that Sophie, who lived in the Leigh area of Manchester, was hit by a car on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park as it was being driven by Flaviu Naghi on January 2, 2025. The Crown further alleges that subsequent drug tests carried out following his arrest showed he had 236 mcg of benzoylecgonine in his system. The specified legal limit is 50.
Baby Sophia was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales following the incident, but she died the following day.
This week Naghi's defence counsel, John Hipkin, requested an adjournment to seek expert advice concerning the condition of the car's handbrake which the defendant is accused of driving. The request follows fresh information suggesting that the handbrake had only been partially engaged by another individual prior to the incident. This, claims the defence, could be the reason for the car's subsequent movement.
'An expert may well be able to answer whether, if the handbrake was only partially engaged, the car would have been able to travel forward or not,' stated John Hipkin, KC.
The defence request was granted by Judge Catherine Richards. Naghi's trial will now proceed on January 5, 2026.
Naghi was released on conditional bail.
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