A woman has been jailed for four years for causing the death of a baby in a collision outside Withybush General Hospital.
Bridget Carole Curtis, aged 70, struck eight-month-old Mabli Cariad Hall while she was in her pram outside Withybush Hospital on June 21, 2023.
Mabli was airlifted to hospital, where despite the best efforts of medical staff she sadly died during the early hours of June 25.
Following a police investigation, Curtis was charged with causing death by driving dangerously on July 24, 2024. She appeared at Swansea Crown Court on September 20, 2024, where she pleaded guilty.
She was today sentenced to an immediate term of four years in prison. She will also be disqualified from driving for eight years, and will have to pass an extended re-test before she is able to drive again.
Speaking at court, Mabli’s parents said their entire family had been ‘broken and destroyed’ by Curtis’s actions on that day, and that they would never get over the grief of losing their baby.
In sentencing Curtis, HHJ Geraint Walters said Mabli’s life was taken ‘senselessly and needlessly’, adding that it was hard to imagine a case ‘more grossly reckless’ than this.
Sergeant Sara John, of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our thoughts remain with Mabli’s family who have had to endure the pain of losing her in these tragic and completely avoidable circumstances.
“This was a difficult investigation and we are grateful to Mabli’s family for their patience and dignity as they waited for this outcome today.”
In a statement released following the sentencing, Mabli’s family said:
“As a family we wish to thank Dyfed-Powys Police and everyone else involved in securing justice for Mabli today.
“It’s been a harrowing 19 months to reach this point, but we appreciate how complicated these investigations are to ensure the right outcome.
“We now have to navigate the rest of our lives without our baby girl, Mabli Cariad, who made our family so complete. As parents, we have to continue to support our other children to deal with their deep grief, a grief which we share every moment of every day.
“Mabli Cariad was the sunshine in our lives and shall forever be loved and missed.
“If anything is to be learned from the unnecessary loss of Mabli’s life, it is that everyone who sits behind the wheel of a vehicle needs to realise that they are responsible for their own actions and the wellbeing of others.”
