Mayor says Walsall driver's sentence for hitting and killing baby is too 'lenient'
The West Midlands Mayor has called for the sentence of an uninsured driver who hit and killed a two-week-old baby in his pram in Walsall to be reviewed.
Andy Street says "it's not right" that James Davis has been jailed for six-and-a-half-years while Ciaran's family "will never get to see their baby grow up".
He added on social media that Davis has "35 previous convictions including drink-driving, was speeding and most likely using his phone when he crashed into 18-day-old Ciaran Morris".
The letter was written to the Attorney General and has also been sent to the Home Secretary and the Transport Secretary.
Davis, from Croxtalls Avenue in Walsall, was driving a BMW 1 Series 116d on April 4 last year, when he "drifted" onto the wrong side of the road and hit Ciaran Leigh Morris, who was being pushed along the Brownhills high street pavement by his parents.
Davis, 35, abandoned the car and immediately fled the scene, while the eighteen-day-old baby was taken to hospital, where his injuries were too severe to survive.
His mother also suffered a broken collar bone.
Around 40 minutes later, he called police to tell them what he had done.
Davis denied causing Ciaran's death by dangerous driving, and claimed to have blacked out at the wheel, saying he could not remember hitting Ciaran's pram.
After the crash, Davis ran off and told a passer-by he "had killed a baby and was going down for a long time".
The trial heard Davis, who had a teenage passenger, had been travelling at 67mph in a 30mph zone shortly before the fatal crash.
In court, Davis accepted reaching 67mph in a 30mph area but said he was driving within the speed limit when the crash occurred.
Watch the moment on CCTV when Davis fled the scene in Brownhills:
Davis was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for seven years and three months.
Hundreds of people turned out to pay respect at Ciaran's funeral, which took place on April 28 2021, with the cortege, led by a horse-drawn hearse, passing near to the scene of the crash.
At the time Ciaran's parents paid tribute to their baby boy, saying: "Mommy’s and daddy’s hearts will always ache, we love you more than anything."
After Davis' verdict, Ciaran’s parents said: “Ciaran our precious baby boy, in the short time he was with us, was loved so much.
The unexpected and sudden circumstances of losing Ciaran has caused great pain and our lives will never be the same without him.
“Our family would be grateful if you can please now allow us to grieve in private.”