Woman receives suspended sentence after crashing car into nursery playground, injuring three toddlers

At a nursery playground in Ellesmere Port, Jayne James, 63, drove a grey Omoda people carrier through a wooden fence, entering an area where 22 children aged two to three were playing. The vehicle continued across the yard, collided with a brick wall and trapped a two-year-old boy between the front wheel and the wall, while flying debris injured two additional toddlers. A staff member quickly pulled the pinned child free and emergency services were called; all three children were hospitalized with minor injuries and later released.

James was detained at the scene, admitted to dangerous driving, and later received a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months along with a two-year driving ban. Detective Sergeant Amy Hollis of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit emphasized the severe risk to over 20 children and praised the staff’s swift actions. An inspection found no fault with the vehicle’s automatic acceleration feature.