Driver accused over baby death after pram crash has trial delayed until 2022

James Paul Davis is accused of causing the death of Ciaran Leigh Morris by dangerous driving.
James Paul Davis arriving at an earlier court hearing (Jacob King/PA)
PA Wire
Richard Vernalls30 September 2021

A man accused of causing the death of a two-week-old boy by dangerous driving has had his trial adjourned until next year.

Ciaran Leigh Morris was being pushed along the pavement in a pram by family in High Street, Brownhills, Walsall at about 4pm on Easter Sunday, when he was struck by a car.

James Paul Davis, 35, previously entered pleas of not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and a separate offence of causing death by driving while uninsured, in connection with the incident.

Davis, of Croxtalls Avenue, Walsall, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday for an administrative hearing, ahead of what was due to be the start of his trial, next week.

Two-week-old baby hit by car
PA Media

However, the court heard that delays in getting case reports meant the trial, estimated to last up to five days, would now have to move to 2022.

The Recorder of Wolverhampton judge Michael Chambers QC, told Davis: “There was to be a trial on October 4, but that had to be vacated.”

He added: “The first date at which the court can accommodate this case, due to pressure of cases caused by the Covid pandemic, is March 21 2022.”

Ciaran’s funeral took place on April 28, with the cortege, led by a horse-drawn hearse, passing near to the scene of the crash.

An inquest was opened and adjourned earlier this month pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

Two-week-old baby hit by car
PA Wire

A crowdfunding appeal to support the family raised almost £39,000, with 2,149 people making donations.

Ciaran’s parents paid an emotional tribute to their son, in a statement released shortly after the crash.

They said: “Mommy’s and Daddy’s hearts will always ache, we love you more than anything.

“We didn’t get to keep you for long but we are happy we had the chance to meet you, look after you and call you our son.

“Fly high angel.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in