Father whose son choked to death on a grape reversed car into his wife while their baby daughter was in the back seat, court hears
- David Jenkins reversed over his wife while their daughter was in the car
- He was convicted of dangerous driving and assault causing actual bodily harm
- Jenkins, who has 16 prior convictions, was jailed for two years and two months
- In 2015, their son Jacob, two, died after choking on a grape in a restaurant
A man whose son died after choking on a grape refused to hand his baby daughter over to his wife and then reversed his car into her, while their child was inside the vehicle crying, a court has heard.
Teesside man David Jenkins, 38, then accelerated away with his car door still open and his baby standing up inside. The car door hit his wife, who had just got up after being knocked over when Jenkins reversed his vehicle into her.
In 2015, two-year-old Jacob Jenkins was eating with his parents in the restaurant in Hartlepool, County Durham, when the fruit became lodged in his throat.
He was rushed to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle where he was put into an induced coma.
David Jenkins, 38, pictured left, ran over his wife Abigail, right following a row outside her house on Teesside. The couple’s son Jacob, centre, died after choking on a grape while the family ate at a restaurant in Hartlepool in October 2015
By the time paramedics arrived, Jacob’s heart had stopped but the youngster was rushed to hospital and doctors managed to restart it.
As Jacob started to choke, the restaurant’s first aider tried in vain to remove the grape and his father ran for help to a nearby cinema.
By the time paramedics arrived, Jacob’s heart had stopped but the youngster was rushed to hospital and doctors managed to restart it.
An inquest ruled that Jacob’s death was an accident.
This week, Teesside Crown Court heard that the couple resumed their relationship despite Jenkins being subject to a non-molestation order, prohibiting him from contacting his wife. Defence barrister Martin Scarborough said that Mrs Jenkins contacted her estranged husband around the time of the anniversary of the death of their two-year-old.
But the relationship deteriorated, as prosecutor Joe Hedworth said that Jenkins had jealous fits and tried to control his wife: ‘He insisted that she had contact with him all day. He made her use Snapchat maps so he could see where she was.’
Mr Hedworth said: ‘He cut the wires to the CCTV at the front of the house and became jealous when she used a personal trainer at the gym, until she stopped. He accused her of cheating.’
The court heard that on March 6, Jenkins’ wife packed his bags. An argument ensued when he got home with their daughter and ‘he reversed his car, with his daughter in it, at speed, knocking her over.’
Mr Hedworth said that when concerned neighbours came out, Jenkins told one of them to ‘shut up’ when she told him to: ‘Do the right thing and hand the baby over.’
Jenkins was jailed for two years and two months at Teesside Crown Court for dangerous driving and the assault causing actual bodily harm of his wife
That was when Jenkins accelerated away, with the couple’s baby standing up in the car, leaving a door open, which hit his wife again.
When the police arrived, they found Jenkins still driving, and he stopped after they forced his car into a lamp post. Mr Hedworth said that the baby was still crying.
Jenkins was arrested and told police that he thought the non-molestation order was no longer in place and that the couple had reunited. He complained that, ‘the police had driven into him and forced him to crash.’
But by March 29, Jenkins breached the non-molestation order again, by creating fake profiles on social media and messaging his now-estranged wife. He told her: ‘Don’t do this beautiful. I love you forever.’
In a statement, Jenkins’ ex-wife, who suffered a bruised foot in the incident, said: ‘It was heartbreaking that I couldn’t get to my daughter who was crying in distress. If I’d moved out of the way of the car, I would have been allowing him to take my daughter whilst he was drunk.
‘I hope I never see that look on my daughter’s face again- it was pure fear. ‘
The victim went onto say that she is frightened about the future, because she is tied to Jenkins through their daughter.
Jenkins, later of Leeds, admitted dangerous driving, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and breaches of his non-molestation order between October 2020 and March 2021; and again between March and April 2022.
He has 16 previous convictions for 29 offences, which include a four-year jail term in 2007, for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm; and a number of driving offences.
Martin Scarborough, defending, said that Jenkins was back in a relationship with his wife at the time of the offending; and that he had ‘blamed himself’ for the death of the couple’s two-year-old son, seven years ago: ‘He shouldn’t – it was a tragic accident. The boy choked to death’ the barrister added.
Mr Scarborough said that his client and his client’s wife, ‘both wanted to make a go of their marriage’ before the incident on March 6. He said that Jenkins, ‘thought he took his daughter into the car for the right reasons, that the child was saying she wanted her daddy and her mother was not allowing that.’
Mr Scarborough said that Jenkins was pulled out of the car ‘quite forcibly’ by the police and that he has now spent 110 days on an electronic tag. After his second breach of the non-molestation order in July, Jenkins was taken into custody.
Jenkins sobbed and interrupted as Judge Antony Dunne told him: ‘ Your behaviour has caused your victim harm – you made her feel scared. She was frightened by your behaviour to your daughter.
‘She says your daughter now requires a lot of support and reassurance. I do take into account the background of the tragic death of yours and your former wife’s son. But she was also a victim of that and it must have made your behaviour towards your daughter all the more frightening for her.
‘Although I bear in mind that your contact with your former wife was initiated by her; your behaviour was reckless. You knocked her to the ground and then drove with the car door open, you showed no concern.’
‘I did get out of the car to ask if she was OK’ said Jenkins, with his head in his hands, ‘I thought she was clear of the car, I really did.’
Jenkins was jailed for two-years-and-two-months. He was disqualified from driving for three-years and must pass an extended test before he is allowed back on the roads.
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