Senior investigator: driver was texting seconds before hitting toddler

Thursday 15 June 2017

A senior investigator officer told the Royal Court this morning that the 39-year-old woman who is accused of causing the death of three-year-old Clinton Pringle was texting seconds before fatally hitting the toddler.

Rebekah Le Gal is pleading not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

This morning, Senior Investigating Officer Sian Gidley was called in as a witness by the prosecution, which is being led by HM Solicitor General Mark Temple. She analysed CCTV footage from Britannia Place on Tunnell Street, which shows Clinton Pringle and Mrs Le Gal's vehicle moments before the collision happened.

According to the officer's analysis, Mrs Le Gal was texting between one and eight seconds before she negotiated the turn. CCTV shows Clinton crossing the road at 15:50.25, eight seconds before Mrs Le Gal's vehicle enters the bend at 15:50:33.

It's alleged that phone records show that she received a text from her son at 15:50.24 and that she sent a reply to her son at 15:50.36.

The defence advocate, Matthew Jowitt, said during his cross-examination that the times were not accurate and used the call made to 999 as a point of reference. According to him, CCTV footage shows the moment José Fonseca finished his call with 999, just as the ambulance was arriving. Starting from that point, he used Officer Gidley's timings to go back in the footage and show that Mrs Le Gal was texting ahead of making the right turn (just before she hit Clinton Pringle) rather than in the middle of it.

Proceedings are set to resume this afternoon with the Defence starting its case. Mrs Le Gal is due to be called as the first witness.