Mother Convicted of Manslaughter After Baby Ejected from Unsecured Car Seat

A 19-year-old mother has been convicted of manslaughter after her six-month-old baby was thrown from a car due to a lack of seatbelt security. Morgan Kiely, now 22, was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court, after her friend Stevie Steel, who was driving under the influence, crashed the car on July 13, 2022. The baby, Harry, tragically died that night from "unsurvivable" injuries.

Key Takeaways:

• Morgan Kiely, 22, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence after her six-month-old baby, Harry, was ejected from an unsecured car seat in a crash caused by her friend Stevie Steel, who was driving under the influence.
• The jury deliberated for about five hours over two days before reaching a verdict, and Kiely was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.
• Judge Robert Jay stated that Kiely had a responsibility to ensure Harry's safety, and her decision to travel with a drunk driver was a "lapse in her otherwise good care" of her child.
• Kiely had a history of being a "devoted and loving" mother, and had taken Harry on trips to Liverpool and Scotland to visit relatives.
• The child car seat was designed to function in a way that made it highly unlikely but not impossible that the straps had been secured in the car.
• Stevie Steel, who was driving the car, had previously confessed to causing death by careless driving while over the drink drive limit.
• The accident occurred on Cherry Tree Avenue in Clacton-on-Sea, and the car was traveling at 30mph when it rolled over and ended up on its roof.

Statistics:

• Harry was six months old when he was ejected from the car.
• The car was estimated to have rolled over and ended up on its roof about 99% of the time the car would not have rolled over at this speed, according to Judge Jay.
• The baby sustained a catastrophic skull fracture, and medical staff treated him for over an hour at the scene before he was taken to hospital.
• Harry received treatment at the scene for over an hour before being hurried to hospital, where medical staff continued their efforts to save him.

Sources:

• Morgan Kiely was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence by Chelmsford Crown Court [1]
• Judge Robert Jay addressed Kiely, stating that her negligent behaviour on that day was a lapse in her otherwise good care of Harry [1]
• Kiely opted not to testify at her trial, and a key witness stated it was "highly likely" the straps of Harry's seat hadn't been fastened [1]
• Stevie Steel, who was driving the car, had previously confessed to causing death by careless driving while over the drink drive limit [1]
• The accident occurred on July 13, 2022, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex [1]
• The court heard from an expert witness about the child car seat and how it is designed to function [1]
• Judge Jay stated that Harry's safety was Kiely's responsibility, and she should have prioritized it that day [1]
• Kiely, now 22, has a four-month-old baby and had left her previous job as a carer to focus on her child [1]

References:

[1] EssexLive/BPM (2022) "Mum Morgan Kiely has been found guilty of manslaughter", The Independent, 22 September 2023