Driver ‘showing off’ Ferrari left three-week-old baby permanently brain damaged in crash

Daniel Halliwell is believed to have reached speeds of up to 136mph in the 'GBP293k' Ferrari 812 GTS when he crashed into a mum and her newborn baby

19:00, 21 Jan 2025

The A558 where the crash took place(Image: Google maps)

A "selfish and arrogant" Ferrari driver rocketed down a dual carriageway at speeds up to 136mph before crashing into a mum and her three-week-old baby. Daniel Halliwell, 35, smashed into the woman's Ford Fiesta after losing control of his car on the Daresbury Expressway A558.

The incident happened just after 5pm on July 21, 2023. Halliwell, of Harvey Avenue, Earlestown, St Helens [1], had been "showing off" his Ferrari 812 GTS to his friend after asking him if he "wanted a spin", travelling from the direction of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

Meanwhile, the mum was joining the carriageway from Manor Park Avenue with her baby boy in the back seat.

HGV dashcam footage of the crash, which was played at Chester Crown Court today, January 21, showed a black BMW moving into the right hand lane to allow the woman to enter the dual carriageway. Seconds later, Halliwell, who is believed to have been driving between 129mph and 136mph, came up behind the BMW and attempted to swerve around it, losing control of his vehicle and crashing into the back half of the dark grey Ford.

Prosecutor Tom McLoughlin said: "The actions of the defendant led to a scene of devastation. The baby's injuries were [at first] unknown.

He did receive treatment at the roadside, however the severity of the scene was clear to all. One described the sound as 'like an explosion' when the vehicles collided."

The three-week-old baby suffered a serious brain injury and a bleed on the brain. He was taken to Whiston Hospital, where doctors warning his mum to "expect him not to survive given the extent of his injuries." He was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital [4] and was later allowed to return home.

However, the court heard, the crash left the youngster with severe, permanent physical and neurological damage, meaning he will require specialist care for the rest of his life.

Halliwell was also injured in the crash, and a urine test taken in the hospital revealed levels of drugs in his system, including cocaine, a breakdown of cocaine, and MDMA. These levels were not high enough to merit a drug driving charge, however.

Halliwell at first claimed he had been travelling "around 60mph" and that the crash had occurred as a result of him "executing an emergency manoeuvre" when the BMW pulled out in front of him. He later pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and appeared today for sentence.

In a statement read out in court, the baby's mum described how her "happy, healthy, and perfect" son's mobility had been severely affected; he was not meeting his developmental milestones and was believed to be blind or visually impaired.

She said: "My son will not have the life most mothers envisage for their children.

He will need 24/7 care for the rest of his life. The opportunity to have an education, work and make his own life have been cruelly taken away from him. My time is consumed by caring for him.

Life is so different now. Nothing is straightforward or impulsive."

Mr McLoughlin said Halliwell's Ferrari, which carries a price tag of GBP293,150, could go from 0 to 62mph in just 2.9 seconds, and could reach top speeds of 211mph. The IT business owner had no previous convictions, but had six penalty points of his licence, three of these being for speeding on the same road where the deadly crash occurred.

Sophia Dowers, defending, said: "I begin with the most important submission that the defendant wishes me to convey to the court, but mostly to the baby's mother and family, and that's how sorry he is for what has has done.

To use the defendant's own words, he recognises his actions have destroyed the lives of the baby and his family, and their suffering is nothing short of heart-wrenching, and he would do anything to end all the hurt that he has done.

"The realisation of the consequences of his actions left him inconsolable and he's utterly devastated by what he has done. He struggles to sleep at night his remote is sincere and in his family's view immeasurable, and that is a theme seen in the letters of support of him.

"The damage, as you know, has been done and it will lie on his conscience for the rest of his days, far beyond whatever sentence the court could impose."

She said Halliwell was of "positive good character" apart from his previous speeding penalties, and had given money to Francis House Children's Hospice, Holly's Hearts, and schools during the Covid-19 [5] lockdown.

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Addressing Halliwell, Judge Steven Everett said: "You just carried on in a selfish and arrogant way giving no thought to anybody but yourself and the thrill seeking you wanted to get, showing off this vehicle."

He sentenced him to 32 months in prison, and disqualified him from driving for five years, extended by 16 months. The driving ban will not start until Halliwell leaves prison.

Cheshire Police was approached for a mugshot of Halliwell, but a spokesman said they did not have one.

References

^ St Helens (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
^ Tragic schoolgirl, 12, who took her own life 'could no longer see beauty in herself' (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
^ Warning to anyone who drives with their dog in the passenger seat (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
^ Alder Hey Children's Hospital (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
^ Covid-19 (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)