SHAME SHAME


BEXLEYHEATH CABBIE JAILED FOR SIX YEARS AFTER FATAL CRASH CAUSED BY EXTREME FATIGUE


A taxi driver who spent 53 hours behind the wheel across three days has been jailed for six years after falling asleep and killing a man who had stopped for a break in a layby. Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, from Bexleyheath, pleaded guilty causing death by


to dangerous


driving after his Audi swerved into a layby on the A23 in Merstham and struck 59-year-old Philip Dray on August 17, 2025. Detectives examining data from Erunkulu’s employers and interior vehicle footage discovered he had been working for roughly 12 hours straight with only minor breaks immediately prior to the crash. In the preceding three days, his longest rest period was 7 hours. Inside-camera footage captured the cabbie falling into a “micro- sleep” - a brief second-long episode


where the brain stops processing information - causing his car to veer across white lines and hit Mr Dray as he returned to his Volkswagen. Mr Dray, described by his grieving partner as “a sweet, gentle, and caring man” and his sister as a conscientious driver who spent his life keeping others safe, died at the scene. Erunkulu continued driving for another 10 seconds before parking in the next layby. Passing sentence


at Guildford Crown Court, the judge remarked:


“The footage shows the defendant was extremely tired and, in my view, has continued to drive when he must have known that. He was driving commercially. Even though he didn’t have a passenger, he could have done and has driven in that state. All of this could have been stopped had he have slept.” Acting Det Insp Rob Baldwin emphasised the severe


risks


uncovered by the investigation, stating: “This case sadly highlights the very real dangers of driving while fatigued. Mr Erunkulu had worked long hours with insufficient rest over the preceding days, accumulating a sleep debt.” Erunkulu received an eight-year driving disqualification to


run


concurrently with his prison sentence and must pass an extended retest to ever drive again.


DISGRACED NEWCASTLE PH DRIVER SPARED JAIL AFTER ONLINE GROOMING WITH SCHOOLBOY


A private hire driver from Newcastle who attempted to trade a taxi ride for sexual favours with an undercover officer posing as a schoolboy has avoided an immediate prison sentence. David Richardson, 31, communi- cated via Snapchat in May with a profile he was told belonged to a 14-year-old schoolboy,


during


which he sent indecent images of himself and discussed picking the teenager up from school. Prosecuting counsel John Crawford told the court: “They spoke about the officer paying for a taxi ride with the defendant in


60


exchange for sexual favours.” Richardson was identified partly


because parts of his room and trainers appeared in the images he transmitted. Appearing in court, Richardson pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to look at a sexual image. Recorder Jonathan Sandiford KC noted that probation reports concluded Richardson possesses a


“sexually deviant interest in children”.


Mitigating on his behalf, Richard Herrmann stated that his client was suffering from depression at the time of the offences. He added that Richardson has lost his job as a taxi driver, plans to work in e- commerce, and intends to have no future contact with children. Richardson was handed a 12- month prison sentence suspended for two years. Additionally, he has been ordered to sign the sex offenders register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for a duration of ten years.


OCTOBER 2026 PHTM


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76