Driver left three-week-old baby permanently brain damaged after 'showing off' in £293k Ferrari

A 'selfish and arrogant' Ferrari driver sped down a dual carriageway before crashing into a mum and her three-week-old baby.

Daniel Halliwell, 35, reached up to 136mph before he smashed into the victim's Ford Fiesta after losing control of his car on the Daresbury Expressway A558, near Runcorn.

The incident happened just after 5pm on July 21, 2023. Halliwell, of Harvey Avenue, Earlestown, St Helens, had been 'showing off' his Ferrari 812 GTS to his friend, the ECHO reports.

Meanwhile, the mum was joining the carriageway from Manor Park Avenue with her baby boy in the back seat, court heard.

HGV dashcam footage of the crash, which was played at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, January 21, showed a black BMW moving into the right hand lane to allow the woman to enter the dual carriageway.

Seconds later, Halliwell, who is believed to have been driving between 129mph and 136mph, came up behind the BMW and attempted to swerve around it, losing control of his vehicle and crashing into the back half of the dark grey Ford.

Prosecutor Tom McLoughlin told the court: "The actions of the defendant led to a scene of devastation.

"The baby's injuries were [at first] unknown. He did receive treatment at the roadside, however the severity of the scene was clear to all. One described the sound as 'like an explosion' when the vehicles collided."

The three-week-old baby suffered a serious brain injury and a bleed on the brain. He was taken to Whiston Hospital, where doctors warned his mum to 'expect him not to survive given the extent of his injuries.'

He was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital and was later allowed to return home. However, the court heard, the crash left the youngster with severe, permanent physical and