Woman avoids jail after baby ‘thrown from car window’ during car crash

A young woman who was driving when a baby suffered fatal injuries after flying out the car window in a crash has avoided a prison sentence.

Stevie Steel, 24, was behind the wheel of the car when it collided with a parked vehicle and rolled onto its roof in Clacton in July 2022.

She was in the car with baby Harry Kiely, who was just six months old, and his mum, Morgan, heading home after a day at the beach.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard that Steel, of Dartford in Kent, and Ms Kiely had bought three bottles of Rose on the day and spent hours at the beach.

Steel’s ex-partner did not think that the pair of women were drunk, but did consider them ’tispy’ and happy’.

He offered to give them a lift, but it was declined, with the two women and Harry getting into the car to drive to Morgan’s nan’s house when the horror crash happened.

Mr Justice Jay said the incident was ‘undoubtedly a tragic case’, adding: ‘It’s a sad and tragic fact that accidents like this do happen as a result of bad luck.

‘You could and should have taken up his (Steel’s ex-partner) offer and put aside any worries about the parking arrangements.’

The journey was said to be about a mile away and normally wouldn’t take long.

Harry, however, was not secured into the car seat; his harness was not attached, and neither was the car seat he was in strapped into the car.

Around two minutes after leaving the parking space, Steel ‘lost concentration for a short period’ and collided with a parked vehicle. She was not speeding, but the car rolled onto its roof.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Harry was ‘thrown out of the window’ and ‘probably died instantly from catastrophic head injuries.’

Steel cried in the secure courtroom dock during the hearing. She was of good character prior to pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving when over the prescribed limit.

She is employed in a part-time role and has a young child with her partner, and has expressed remorse in a number of ways.

Mr Christopher Martin, defense, said 24-year-old Steel, who was 21 at the time, has made approaches to charities to campaign against drink driving.

She has offered to pass on support to share her story with young people, with a view to try and nail home how serious the consequences of this type of offending really are.’

The Judge sentenced Steel to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for a year.

She has also been disqualified from driving for five years and must pass an extended test before returning to the wheel.

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