Walsall driver told passer-by he had killed a baby, trial hears

A driver accused of killing an 18-day-old baby confessed to a passer-by after the fatal crash, a court has heard.

James Davis is on trial charged over the death of Ciaran Morris, who was killed in a collision in Brownhills, West Midlands, on 4 April 2021.

His parents were walking along the High Street when the pram was struck by Mr Davis's BMW, which moments before had hit another car while on the wrong side of the road, the court heard.

Mr Davis, 35, denies wrongdoing.

Opening the case for the prosecution at Wolverhampton Crown Court, James Curtis QC said Mr Davis had been travelling at 67mph in a 30mph area that was busy with shoppers on Easter Sunday, moments before the crash.

After striking the second car while on the wrong side of the road, the BMW swerved on to the pavement and crashed into Ciaran's pram before hitting a wall, Mr Curtis said.

"The defendant got out of his car - he was perfectly able to do that - and he ran off on foot," he continued.

"Once at a safe distance, he approached a passer-by, saying that he had killed a baby and was going down for a long time."

Ciaran died in hospital a short while later after bystanders had tried "desperately to get the car off of the child," jurors were told.

In interviews with police, Mr Davis said he thought he had a coughing fit and may have passed out at the wheel but prosecutors argue this was "fabrication" and he was in fact "fully fit".

Mr Davis, of Croxtalls Avenue in Walsall, denies causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving and causing death by driving while uninsured.

The trial continues.

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