A 40-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting a father who fled the scene after killing his seven-month-old daughter in a drink-drive crash, as police release collision reconstruction footage showing the 'catastrophic' consequences.
Emmanuel Sakyi, 31, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by a unanimous jury but failed to appear for his sentencing at Aylesbury Crown Court. He was jailed for 15 years for killing his daughter Emmanuela, who was sitting on her mother's lap in the passenger seat when he swerved into the wrong lane over twice the legal alcohol limit on Bletcham Way in Milton Keynes in December 2022. The baby suffered serious injuries and later died in hospital. The court heard Sakyi drove his grey Peugeot 508 'for a considerable distance on the wrong side of the road' before colliding with a green Fiat 500, and that he did not secure his daughter in a car seat. The mother, Ruth Oppong, 34, was sentenced to one year and nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, after being convicted of aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving and causing unnecessary suffering or injury to a child.
“Woman arrested for assisting father who fled after drink-drive crash killed his baby daughter; murder probe in Merseyside”
Thames Valley Police said the 40-year-old woman from Milton Keynes was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of assisting an offender and has since been released under investigation while inquiries continue. Detective Inspector Justin Thomas of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: 'Nearly four years ago, seven-month-old Emmanuela lost her life because her father chose to drink drive. We have made an arrest and are continuing our inquiries to locate Sakyi, but we still need the public's help.' He added: 'We are releasing the collision reconstruction footage and damage to Sakyi’s car today to demonstrate the catastrophic consequences of the choices he made that day. Emmanuela’s death was entirely preventable.' Sakyi, of Milton Keynes, is described as a black man with a medium build, black hair and brown eyes, around 5ft 3in tall.
In a separate incident in Merseyside, a 30-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman in her 50s was found dead at an address on St Ambrose Croft in Netherton. North West Ambulance Service called officers from Merseyside Police to the property at about 10am on Sunday. A murder investigation was launched shortly afterwards. The 30-year-old woman from Netherton remains in custody. A force spokesperson said: 'At this stage, the death is being treated as unexplained and enquiries remain ongoing to determine the full circumstances of what happened.' A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish the cause of death. Detective Inspector Sara Lang said: 'Our thoughts at this time are with the family of the woman who has sadly passed away. As this matter is clearly in the very early stages, we would ask people to avoid speculating and allow us to carry out our enquiries. Although we have arrested a person in connection with the investigation, we are still appealing for anyone with information to come forward.' Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police via its social media desk, online via the force's website, or by calling 101, quoting log number 293 of July 5. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.