A drunk driver killed his own seven-month-old baby in a crash while significantly above the legal alcohol limit, then fled the scene, a court has heard. Emmanuel Sakyi, 31, was driving on Bletcham Way in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on December 4, 2022, with his daughter Emmanuela sitting in her mother's lap on the passenger side, secured only by a seatbelt across her stomach.
Crash details and fatal injuries
Prosecutor Daren Samat told Aylesbury Crown Court that Sakyi drove 'for a considerable distance on the wrong side of the road' and failed to respond to the driver of an oncoming Fiat 500, Shannon Willison, who was flashing her lights and beeping her horn. 'Instead he carried on straight and despite the other driver's best effort to avoid a collision, he drove into that Fiat 500,' Samat said. 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.
Flight and arrest
Samat said Sakyi 'wasn't going to stick around for the police' and fled the scene, possibly not yet aware of the severity of his daughter's injuries. Officers later attended his address and arrested him after he arrived home in the early hours. At Milton Keynes General Hospital, Sakyi allegedly told a medical professional that the collision occurred 'because the other car was on the wrong side of the road.' A drink-driving procedure estimated he was driving at twice the legal limit. When interviewed under caution, he declined to answer questions.
Witness testimony
Giving evidence, Ms Willison said she beeped her horn for a couple of seconds and swerved to the right to avoid the car, but it was too close. She recalled seeing three people—two women and one man—get out of the other vehicle. The man 'vanished' afterwards, while the two women remained at the scene. Sakyi did not attend court for the trial opening on Tuesday. The trial continues.
