Drunk Driver Who Killed Baby and Aunt at 140mph Jailed

A drunk driver who killed eight-month-old Zackary Blades and his 30-year-old aunt Karlene Warner in a horrifying crash on the A1 has been sentenced to 17 years and three months in prison.

Darryl Anderson, driving at an astonishing 141mph, crashed his Audi Q5 into a Peugeot 308, causing the deaths of Zackary and Karlene. Zackary’s mother, Sharlona Warner, who was driving the Peugeot, sustained minor injuries. Anderson, 38, admitted to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving during a hearing at Durham Crown Court last week.

The tragic crash occurred between Chester-le-Street and Durham at around 3:15 am on Friday, May 31. Approximately 30 grieving family members attended the court hearing. Judge Joanne Kidd sentenced Anderson of Thorpe Hesley, South Yorkshire, highlighting the profound impact of his reckless actions.

During the sentencing, Karlene’s husband demanded that Anderson look at him as he read his victim impact statement, but Anderson kept his eyes fixed on the floor. He told Anderson that he had destroyed his life and robbed their little girl of her mother. Karlene’s father and Zackary’s grandfather described Anderson as a “wild man driving a killing machine,” adding: “No words can describe how we felt when we received that call from Sharlona. A horrifying, horrendous incident that will stay with her forever.”

Judge Kidd detailed Anderson’s reckless behavior, revealing that he had consumed a “significant” amount of alcohol on a flight to Newcastle Airport and intended to drive 200 miles back to Yorkshire. He began his journey at 2:39 am, and by 3:17 am, he had driven around 20 miles in a “thoroughly dangerous and intoxicated manner.”

Anderson’s dangerous driving included sending WhatsApp messages and taking a screenshot of his speedometer moments before the fatal crash. The judge called it “a chilling image,” noting, “At the center of the console is a warning sign, displaying a warning of impending obstacle. That obstacle was the Peugeot driven by Sharlona.”

The judge emphasized the severity of Anderson’s actions: “You played Russian roulette with every man, woman, and child on that journey. It was inevitable you were going to crash into a vehicle.” Photos of the crash scene were described as “the stuff of nightmares.”

Sharlona Warner, who was driving the Peugeot after picking her sister Karlene up from Newcastle Airport, bravely recounted the horrific moment in court. “I heard a painful scream from the lorry driver crying: ‘Oh no, he’s here – your baby’s here.’ I jumped over to find my baby lying on the edge of the grass of the motorway. I knew instantly. I had to pick my dead baby up from the side of the road. I hugged him so tight, a hug I will never forget.”

Sharlona continued, “No words will surmount the irreparable hole that has been left in my heart and in my life. Zackary was my rainbow baby – he was the light at the end of a tunnel of a very dark time for me and brought joy, happiness, and laughter into my life.”

In her heart-wrenching statement, Sharlona added, “My baby’s future, my future, our life together, has been stolen from me. I won’t ever see him look up and smile at me again. I won’t have that luxury. Instead, every second of every day I relive that night over and over again in my head, thinking what did my innocent little boy do to deserve this? And for my sister, Karlene, I just have no words. I am so sorry this happened to you. It’s hard to process something that doesn’t seem real – it just feels like I am living a nightmare.”

Addressing the court, Sharlona said, “Your Honour, I stand before you today a broken shell of a woman and a childless mother. But this guilt is not mine to bear – this guilt is owed to the person that caused this infinite agony. I hope the pain of this weighs them down for all eternity. Nothing will bring my son and my sister back to me. The only way forward for myself is if the defendant faces the same sentence I am facing – life.”

Defense lawyer Richard Dawson acknowledged the tragic nature of the case, noting the “catastrophic consequences” of the crash. He mentioned that Anderson has a young daughter who is the “primary focus of his life” and understands he will be absent from her life for a long period.