A drunk driver who killed a baby and her aunt has been jailed and footage of his police interview has been released.
Darryl Anderson, from Rotherham, was drink-driving his Audi Q5 when he collided with a Peugeot 308, killing eight-month-old Zackary Blades and 30-year-old Karlene Warner between Chester-le-Street and Durham on the A1(M) on Friday 31 May shortly after 3.15am. Zackary’s mother, Shalorna Warner, was driving the car and suffered minor injuries.
Anderson, 38, of Clarell Walk, has appeared at Durham Crown Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
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Now, police have released audio of his interview with police, in which he claims someone else was driving the car.
He claimed he had come from Newcastle Airport and had picked up a hitchhiker who was flagging down cars. He then said he asked the hitchhiker to drive because he was exhausted.
Anderson later claimed he had fallen asleep and was awakened when his car crashed into the back of the Peugeot.
Investigators refuted this story and he pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. On the road he was given a breathalyzer test of 95 mg, well above the legal limit of 35 mg.
An examination of his phone revealed he had been repeatedly making calls and texting throughout the journey up to the time of the crash. In other bodycam footage released by the BBC showing Anderson speaking to an officer in a cell, he says: “Sometimes mistakes are made, but I’m not a bad person.”
Shalorna Warner spoke at the trial and recounted the moment a truck driver found her baby. She said: “I heard a painful scream from the truck driver shouting, ‘Oh no, it’s here, your baby’s here.'”
“I jumped out and found my baby lying on the grass edge of the highway,” she added.
“I knew instantly. I had to pick up my dead baby from the roadside. I hugged him so tightly, a hug I will never forget.
“There are no words that can fill the irreparable void that has been left in my heart and in my life. Zackary was my rainbow baby – he was the light at the end of the tunnel in a very dark time for me and he brought joy, happiness and laughter into my life.
“My baby’s future, my future, our life together, has been stolen from me. I will never see him look at me and smile again. I won’t have that luxury. Instead, every second of every day I replay that night over and over in my head, wondering, what did my innocent little boy do to deserve this?”
“And to my sister, Karlene, I have no words. I am so sorry this happened to you. It’s hard to process something that doesn’t feel real; I feel like I’m living a nightmare.
“I will feel the consequences of this pain for the rest of my life. I don’t know if I will be able to overcome it. I am scarred, traumatized, and afraid to live my life.
“The impact of these events will amplify the difficult times and overshadow any good times I may have, because Zackary and Karlene live in my heart, and I will never live a normal life without them.”
Speaking to the judge, she said: “Your honour, I stand before you today a broken shell of a woman and a childless mother. But this guilt is not mine, it is a guilt I owe to the person who caused this endless agony. I hope the pain of this overwhelms you for all eternity.
“Nothing will bring my son and sister back to me. The only way out for me is for the defendant to face the same sentence as me: life in prison. The irony of all this is that I will never see my loved ones again, but he will.”
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Detective Constable Natalie Horner, of Durham Constabulary’s Collision Investigation Unit, said: “As highway patrol officers, we routinely ask people not to drive over the speed limit. We routinely ask people not to use their mobile phones while driving. And we routinely ask people not to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
“Darryl Anderson was doing all three of those things when he crashed into Shalorna Warner’s car, killing both passengers, Karlene and baby Zackary.
“For his actions, Anderson has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison, but it is his victims and their families who have been sentenced to life in prison.
“It is they who will spend the rest of their lives mourning the loss of their son, their grandson, their wife, their sister and their mother.
“And for what?”
He added: “I would like to take this moment to convey our sincere thanks to all those who have been affected by this tragic incident.
“To the witnesses who arrived at this scene in the middle of the night and showed incredible bravery in the way they acted, but who should never have had to witness or intervene in such things in the first place.
“To our police officers and emergency services colleagues who responded to this incident, both immediately after and during the investigation, and who will carry the effects of this accident for the rest of their lives.
“And to Shalorna and her family, who have shown truly incredible strength and humility throughout this terrible ordeal, under the most horrific circumstances, and who must now try to rebuild their lives in the wake of their loss.
“Darryl Anderson’s name should now become a footnote in this tragic story.
“The names we must remember and the people who must remain in our thoughts are Karlene and Zackary, and their remarkable family.”
