Dad jailed for killing partner in high-speed crash

A father who killed his partner and left their toddler with a brain injury after a high-speed crash on a motorway has been jailed for nine years.

Roxana Pitigoi, 34, and their 18-month-old son were in the back of a car driven by Marius Ionut Dencea when the vehicle left the M180 and hit a tree near Barnetby, North Lincolnshire, at 11:15 GMT on 5 January.

Both mother and son were not wearing a seatbelt and the toddler was not in a child seat, Hull Crown Court heard.

Dencea, 35, of Berkeley Street in Scunthorpe, previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard the car had been travelling at 88mph (141km/h) and was not roadworthy.

Prosecutor Jeremy Evans said Ms Pitigoi died in hospital from her injuries, while their son was in intensive care for 10 days.

The family were driving home after spending the night at a relative's in Grimsby following a party.

Mr Evans said the road conditions were poor with "slush present on the third lane" in which Dencea was driving at excessive speeds.

Dashcam footage played in court showed Dencea's black Mitsubishi travelling on the outside lane and then moments later was seen off the carriageway on the embankment, next to the hard shoulder, flipped on its side.

When emergency services arrived, one officer "located a small child as he reached through a hole in the wreckage to the nearside", Mr Evans added.

"It became apparent there was no child seat or safety restraint in the vehicle."

Mr Evans said the child suffered multiple serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, a broken jaw in two places and a skull fracture.

Dencea's barrister, Dale Brooks, told the court his client had made "desperate attempts to try to help his family" at the scene.

"He is utterly distraught by what happened on that day and by what he did," said Mr Brooks.

"Undoubtedly, the greatest punishment on him is living with the guilt of what he's done, it will be a substantial burden he will have to carry."

The barrister told the court the child had made a "miraculous recovery".

However, passing sentence, Judge Mark Bury said the two-year-old had a "significant risk of developing neurological conditions".

The court heard Dencea, who was also banned from driving for 12 and a half years, had a history of road traffic offences - six in the UK and one in Spain.

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