A HEARTBROKEN mum has paid an emotional tribute to her three-week-old baby killed by a drug-driver.
Newborn Harley Wilkinson died in a horror crash that unfolded in Worcestershire at just after midnight on October 26 last year.
PAThree-week-old Harley was killed by a drug-driver on October 26 last year[/caption]
The family had been on their way home after picking the infant up from a relative’s house.
Harley had been sitting on his father Jake Wilkinson’s lap in the back seat while his mum, Imogen Bradley, drove.
A court heard Mr Wilkinson had become “frustrated” at trying to strap Harley into his car seat, so chose to hold him for the short journey.
Disaster struck when Craig Nunn, 40, ran his Ford Focus through a red light and smashed into their black Suzuki Vitara.
Emergency services were called to a stretch of the A451 between Kidderminster and Stourport.
“Miracle baby” Harley was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a severe traumatic brain injury.
Mr Wilkinson required treatment for a cervical spine fracture, a severed artery and a blood clot in his neck.
Nunn later confessed to a probation officer he had been self-medicating with amphetamines for more than 20 years.
In a victim personal statement, Harley’s devastated mum told the court: “He will always be a part of me. His absence has left a void that will never be filled.
“Every time I close my eyes, I see Harley’s face and the collision.
“I refuse to accept what happened even now. My world has been devastated.”
Speaking via video link, the heartbroken parent added: “The loss is unbearable. I am broken and don’t know if I will ever feel whole again.”
Pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer said it was not possible to determine whether Harley would have survived if he had been strapped into his car seat.
The court heard how Nunn tried to argue his brakes hadn’t been working at the time of the crash.
But forensic analysis revealed there was nothing wrong with his car.
The driver would have had around 11.4seconds between the traffic light changing from red to green.
Further investigation also uncovered Nunn had been speeding at around 90mph on the 70mph dual carriageway.
The speed limit went down to 40mph ahead of the junction and analysis found the driver had been travelling faster than 36mph when he crashed.
Another driver who had stopped at the red light reckoned Nunn was going between 40mph and 50mph through the junction.
After the tragedy, police also found a knife, an imitation pistol and an axe in the vehicle.
Adam Western, defending Nunn, said: “He recognises his responsibility for what his driving caused. He understands who the victims are, and he doesn’t see himself as a victim in any sense.
“That is not to say that these events haven’t also had a profound effect on him.
“He has asked me on his behalf to express his sorrow for what he has done. Simply saying sorry doesn’t undo the damage he has done or the pain he has caused.
“He will have to live for the rest of his life with the consequences of his actions.”
Nunn, of Sandy Lane in Stourport, was jailed for 14 years at Worcester Crown Court on Friday for causing death by dangerous driving.
Judge Martin Jackson told the drug-driver: “Amphetamines was probably a major contributory factor to the collision.
“You told a probation officer you had been self-medicating with amphetamines for some 20 years.
“You may have found it something that assisted you with your ADHD. I am satisfied that your driving must have been highly impaired by your habitual use of amphetamine.
“You cut Harley’s life very short. He was never given the chance to grow up and find his way in the world. That was down to your actions entirely.
“You deliberately disregarded the rules of the road.”
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