A 21-year-old driver, Deimante Ziobryte, avoided jail after failing to stop at the scene of a fatal crash in Pitsea, Essex, on 1 February last year that killed siblings Roman Casselden, 16, and Darcie Casselden, 9. The tragic accident happened at about 6.25pm when the two children were on an e-scooter at a junction. Essex Police confirmed Ziobryte did not call emergency services immediately and drove off before pulling over later and contacting family, not police.
Tragic Loss In Pitsea
Roman and Darcie Casselden suffered catastrophic head injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. The siblings’ deaths have left their family devastated, with their mother Emma Keeling sharing she suffers from “sleepless nights every night” and said, “I will never be the same person again because of it.” Their father Alec Casselden described having “nightmares of them lying in the road alone” and questioned, “Why would she leave two children to die and drive off?”
Driver Fails To Stop
Prosecutor Rohini Majumdar explained that Ziobryte was driving an Audi and swerved to avoid hitting the children on the e-scooter but still made contact. Following the collision, Ziobryte continued driving instead of stopping to help or alert emergency services. She only stopped in a nearby lane and made multiple phone calls to family members, not the police.
Sentencing And Remorse
Yesterday, Ziobryte received a three-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months after pleading guilty to failing to stop at the scene of a collision. She was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements, pay £239 in costs and victim surcharge, and has been banned from driving for three years. Mitigating, Hulusi Ali described her actions as a “panic-driven failure” after a catastrophic event. Ziobryte expressed “sincere remorse” in a letter, admitting she has relived the incident daily and will carry its weight for life.
Official Findings And Inquest
Coroner Michelle Brown confirmed that emergency services arrived promptly, with Darcie pronounced dead at 7:10pm and Roman at 7:50pm. The cause of death for both was traumatic head injury. Essex Police confirmed no further action will be taken relating to causing death by dangerous driving.
Judges Final Words
Deputy District Judge Jennifer Twite described the case as “clearly an incredibly sad case” while considering Ziobryte’s previous good character, early guilty plea, and recent childbirth in passing a suspended sentence.
