Coventry driver jailed for killing daughter

An uninsured and unlicensed driver killed his baby daughter when he took his partner's car without permission.

Armel Houanda, 38, from Coventry, said he had let go of the wheel to check on Amelie when the Audi Q3 Sport hit a kerb and crashed through a fence in Wolvey, Warwickshire, on 22 June.

The 22-month-old girl sustained fatal head injuries when a fencepost went through the windscreen and hit her.

At Warwick Crown Court, Houanda was jailed for two years and eight months.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Houanda, of Victoria Street, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and taking a vehicle without consent.

It said the Audi belonged to his partner and their daughter was in a car seat in the back.

Jason Corden-Bowen, district crown prosecutor with West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Armel Houanda's decision to get behind the wheel of the car, which he was not licensed or insured to drive, had the direst of consequences."

He added: "He claimed that his daughter had removed herself from the restraints on her child seat. When he turned around to check on Amelie this lapse of concentration resulted in the car clipping a kerb and crashing into a fence.

"Instead of stopping and dealing with the incident safely, Houanda took both hands off the steering wheel and looked away from the road while the vehicle was still travelling.

"Those actions have resulted in the tragic loss of a young life."