Jail for woman who ran over one-year-old child

A woman who ran over her one-year-old great niece, leaving her seriously injured, after driving the wrong way down a one-way street whilst intoxicated has been jailed.

Mary Casey, 34, was driving a grey Nissan Qashqai along Mill Road in Cambridge at about 7.10pm on Sunday, 24 July, 2022.  She decided to overtake four cars waiting at the red traffic lights for the junction with St Barnabas Road and drive the wrong way down the one-way street.

Also in the car was Casey’s niece sat in the front passenger seat, who had the one-year-old sat on her lap, and another great niece along with Casey’s two children sat in the back.

Pictured: A CCTV image of Casey overtaking the cars on Mill Road before driving down St Barnabas Road the wrong way. 

After careering at speed round the corner and through the no entry signs, Casey lost control and crashed into two parked cars.

After crashing, the passenger removed the one-year-old child, placing her on the pavement to retrieve her second child.

Pictured: The damaged Qashqai Casey was driving at the time. 

However, as she did this, Casey reversed the car and collided with the child sat on the pavement.

Casey then continued to drive off down St Barnabas Road the wrong way with her two children still in the car and stopped in St Barnabas Court when the car became undriveable due to the damage.

The one-year-old was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital suffering from serious injuries, including a bleed on the brain, fractured skull and fractured ribs.

Pictured: Mary Casey, 34. 

Casey, her niece and the other children were also taken to hospital as a precaution.

Whilst in hospital, Casey provided a sample of blood which was tested for alcohol content and found to be over the legal limit for driving.

Yesterday (Wednesday, 7 February), at Cambridge Crown Court, Casey, of Watling Street, Park Street, St Albans, was jailed for 20 months having pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard that Casey’s intoxication was an aggravating factor in the collisions and she was also disqualified from driving for three years and 10 months, as well as having to take an extended re-test.   

PC Edd Davidson-Smith said: “This was a shocking incident where Casey has driven recklessly and has seriously injured one of her young relatives.

“The outcome was very close to being a fatality and at one point, the little girl was given six hours to live and it is only thanks to extensive medical treatment, she is alive today.

“I hope this sentence provides a warning to drivers out there who think it is acceptable to drive recklessly or once they have consumed alcohol. Casey put so many people at risk during this episode of thoughtless driving, so I am glad she has been jailed.”