Police release video of dangerous driver overtaking car at speed – moments before crash kills Chesterfield girl

Police have released video footage showing an offender overtaking a car in excess of 50mph in a 30mph zone – moments before he collided with a Chesterfield girl.
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Eight-year-old Emily Connor died following the collision on Monton Road in Monton, Salford, in November 2018.

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On Friday, 25-year-old Jon-Paul Caruana was sentenced to three years and four months in prison and disqualified from driving for four years and eight months after pleading guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving.

A screenshot from the video footage which has been released by Greater Manchester Police.A screenshot from the video footage which has been released by Greater Manchester Police.
A screenshot from the video footage which has been released by Greater Manchester Police.
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A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police – which has released the above footage – said: “On the morning of November 10 2018, Caruana was driving to his work at Salford Quays in his blue Vauxhall Corsa with his partner and their four-month-old child.

“He was rushing to pick up a colleague to travel to work with after initially having to return home because he had forgotten his security fob.

“In an attempt to get to his destination on time, Caruana was seen on CCTV overtaking a car at excessive speed on Folly Lane – just over a mile away from Monton Road where the collision was to take place.

“Witnesses described Caruana’s driving before the collision and how he appeared to be increasingly agitated due to factors slowing down his journey such as temporary traffic lights and queues of traffic.

Emily Connor.Emily Connor.
Emily Connor.
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“Emily – who lived in Chesterfield and was visiting her grandparents for the weekend – was crossing Monton Road while holding her grandmother’s hand to get to the bus stop to travel to the Trafford Centre, where they were planning to go shopping for the day.

“Despite the road appearing initially clear, Caruana was seen seconds later driving down the road at speeds of 50mph and sounding his car horn before Emily broke free of her grandmother’s hand in an attempt to get to safety.

“Emily was unable to avoid the car and, despite the best efforts of emergency services, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

“Caruana was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and questioned by officers, where he repeatedly stated over the course of three interviews that he did not exceed over 30mph before the incident occurred.

Dangerous driver Jon-Paul Caruana.Dangerous driver Jon-Paul Caruana.
Dangerous driver Jon-Paul Caruana.
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“Due to detailed forensic collision work as well as CCTV and phone analysis, the investigating team were able to uncover the extent of Caruana’s dangerous driving that day.

“This included dash cam and CCTV footage of him travelling at speed in the moments preceding the collision as well as a WhatsApp message sent from Caruana’s partner to the work colleague referring to how he was ‘breaking speed barriers’ in an attempt to pick him up on time.”

After Caruana was sentenced, Emily’s family said in a statement: “Emily’s brothers and ourselves have somehow got to try to move forward without our beautiful girl.

“We hope to live in a way Emily would have wanted us to – with grace and compassion.”