A drunk driver who killed his own seven-month-old baby in a head-on collision fled the scene, a court has heard. Emmanuel Sakyi, 31, was allegedly significantly above the legal alcohol limit when he crashed into an oncoming car on Bletcham Way in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on December 4, 2022.
Baby died from abdominal injuries
His daughter Emmanuela was sitting on her mother's lap in the passenger seat, with a seatbelt across her stomach, Aylesbury Crown Court heard. The infant suffered serious abdominal injuries and died in hospital in the early hours of the following morning. A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was blunt force abdominal trauma.
Prosecutor Daren Samat told jurors that Sakyi drove for a considerable distance on the wrong side of the road. He failed to respond to Shannon Willison, the driver of an oncoming Fiat 500, who was flashing her lights and beeping her horn to attract his attention. 'Instead he carried on straight and despite the other driver's best effort to avoid a collision, he drove into that Fiat 500,' Mr Samat said.
Driver fled the scene
The prosecutor said Sakyi, who allegedly knew he was responsible for the collision, 'wasn't going to stick around for the police' and fled. He may not have known at that stage how serious the injuries to baby Emmanuela were. After emergency services arrived, it became clear the infant was gravely ill.
Officers attended Sakyi's address after the collision and arrested him when he arrived home in the early hours. He was taken to Milton Keynes General Hospital, where he allegedly told a medical professional that the crash happened 'because the other car was on the wrong side of the road'.
Alcohol level twice the legal limit
A drink-driving procedure was conducted. Sakyi said he had consumed no alcohol since the alleged offence and told officers he had eaten a McDonald's. A sample was taken to estimate his alcohol level at the time of the crash, which was calculated to be twice the legal limit. When later interviewed under caution, he declined to answer any questions.
Ms Willison, driving the Fiat 500, gave evidence on Tuesday. She said when she saw the car driving towards her, 'it was too close to do anything'. She beeped her horn for a couple of seconds, adding: 'I think I kind of knew I was going to have a collision at that point so I swerved to the right to get away from the car into what should have been their side of the road.' She recalled seeing three people – two women and one man – get out of the other vehicle. The male vanished, and the two women were at the scene when police and ambulance arrived.
Sakyi did not attend court for the trial opening on Tuesday. He is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and an alternative charge of causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drink, which he denies. The trial continues.
