Driver who killed baby missed court after suffering panic attack

A driver who failed to turn up at court to be sentenced for killing a baby after she suffered a suspected heart attack and was rushed to hospital had actually suffered a panic attack, a court has heard. Bridget Curtis was due to be sentenced last month for causing the death of eight-month-old Mabli Hall after crashing into her pram outside a hospital but the hearing had to be adjourned after the 70-year-old failed to appear in the dock.

The case came back before Swansea Crown Court on Thursday (December 5) for an update on Curtis' health. The defendant's attendance had been excused. Craig Jones, prosecuting, said in his submission the documents before the court showed the defendant, of Begelly, Pembrokeshire, who previously pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, had not suffered a heart attack or other cardiac episode but had experienced what might best be described as a panic attack. He invited the court to move to sentence as quickly as possible.

John Dye, for Curtis, said a further report into the defendant's mental health was being sought but said the psychiatrist would not be able to interview Curtis until the new year and would then need six to eight weeks to compile his report. Judge Geraint Walters said given the nature of the case he was not prepared to adjourn matters for that long and he set a date for sentencing for January 23.

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Mabli, from Neath, died four days after Curtis' car hit her pram outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in June 2023. She was described as "the apple of her family's eye." In a statement issued following her death her family said: "Our family life has been changed forever and to this day we are still trying to come to terms with what has happened. Every day is a day of pain for us, even now, but as parents we still have to give the love and support our other children need as they are still trying to come to terms with losing their baby sister."

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